Revenge of the Other Father
by Uzumaki Ayame
Summary: The Beldam controlled him...but for everyone's own good. Rated T for reasons inside, full preview inside as well.
1. Life Goes On

**Coraline: Revenge of the Other Father**

_**Rated T only for violence and the use of the word God. There are light cute scenes of love and affection, but there will be adventure, kidnapping, fight scenes, and strategy. It's not only for teens, but this is rated as such just incase children younger aren't interested in these sort of things.**_

**Summary:** _Coraline's life after defeating the other mother, or the demon spider witch known as Beldam, got a little better when she realized she had everything she needed and needed nothing more but friends and family. Not as fussy about moving as she was back when she just came to her new apartment, she now lives her life like a regular girl and is starting her new school at the age of 12, a year from when she had opened the secret small door to the otherworld._

_Though her life is fine with her new friends and neighbors, she often gets curious, as usual, about what had happened to the otherworld…was it destroyed when the Other mother was destroyed? Actually, what happened to the Other father? He was nice and claimed to have been controlled by the other mother, but was he really as good as he seemed?_

_Coraline ends up continuously thinking about the small door, and decides to have a look…_

**Chapter One: Life Goes On…**

Yellow gloves with colorful stripes.

This was the only thing that made Coraline unique in her school of grays and whites.

She huffed gently from the tight and annoying collar of her uniform. She tugged with her fingers, and a dark hand took her wrist and pulled it down. Coraline glared beside her "Don't touch me!"

"You need to just get used to it." The boy said who walked beside her to her first class "Around here there are uniforms, and if you stop messing with them you get used to them much faster."

"Tell me…" Coraline asked "Why WERE you born?" The boy rolled his eyes, and she snickered. He then pointed "All your classes are with me, so we can just walk together in the halls." "Lovely." She said sarcastically as she tugged at her collar with her rainbow gloves "Wybourne, are you really this goody-too-shoes in school or is it just a fake image?" "I try my best to not stick my nose in so much until out of school, Coraline." Wybourne said gently. He still had the same hunch he always did, and though he didn't cock his head to the side so much in school, he still did the same out of school, and only if he was thinking about something would he do so during school. The two entered the classroom, and Coraline immediately was noticed by a few other students. Wybourne then went his own way towards the back of the room with a few other guys, and luckily for Coraline there was a seat behind him. She walked and sat down, and Wybourne smiled at her before talking with other guys. They all looked like nerds to her, just like Wybourne was, but compared to him, he was probably the cutest male there. Not that Coraline was interested in boys yet.

The teacher entered the room and everyone went silent. Coraline wondered if the room was being controlled, was the teacher a robot?

"Good morning, new faces and old. I am your teacher, Ms. Caroline."

What a mockery of her name…Coraline huffed in annoyance, loud enough for Wybourne to hear and shush her. Coraline glared and kicked the back of his chair, and he winced and huffed as well. Ms. Caroline cleared her throat, directly towards Coraline and Wybourne. The two silenced themselves, and the woman spoke.

Coraline wasn't paying attention to the words, more towards her appearance. The woman was large, like her downstairs neighbors in her apartment building. She was large and had on thin reading glasses that fell to her nose but were safely intact by the strings at the ends of them. Her hair was blonde and gray in a tight bun at the back of her head, and she was of regular light skin color. She wore what most boring teachers wore. Adult, boring, clothes.

She couldn't believe that she would be doing nothing but sitting in her class for a quarter of the day. The school decided to divide into 3 classes a day, the homeroom teacher was the simple crap of art, reading, and history while the other two teachers taught math and science. Coraline didn't need any of them, she needed a class that could help her find magic items to take her out of the boring world and maybe help her escape into a world of…something else than all this.

Sure it had been a year since she was in the new state, but she still didn't like it as much as her old home. She would never get used to the school, even if she already had been in it for half a year. As she thought about her life and how messed up it seemed, the class was introducing themselves. She didn't pay attention, but Coraline did hear one guys name, Maxwell, and one girls name, Brunette. She smiled from the girls name. Wybourne introduced himself, and then Coraline had to. She sighed and stood to her feet and mumbled "Coraline."

"I can't hear you," the teacher said "Speak up, now."

"Coraline…"

"What was that?"

She was getting irritated; Wybourne was looking up at her with a worried expression, as if he knew she was getting that way as well.

"Coraline."

The teacher held a hand to cup her ear as if she was deaf.

"I. SAID. CORALINE!!!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. The class gasped, Wybourne slumped in his chair, and Coraline was sent to the principal's office.

Worst. School year. Ever.

_________________________________________________________________

Her new friends don't even go to the same school, except for Wybourne, of course.

"Sucks that you got afterschool, Coraline. On the first day, too." Wybourne said gently as the two walked down a dried dirt path towards Coraline's house. Coraline was annoyed that the teacher, Ms. Caroline, would be offended. It wasn't her fault that the teacher couldn't hear.

"How're you going to tell your parents?" Wybourne asked. Coraline sighed "Luckily if it's something stupid they wouldn't care." Wybourne pulled out his skeleton mask with the three rotating lenses and he placed it on his head "Wanna hangout?"

"And search for bananas?" Coraline mocked. Wybourne smiled "Nooo…they're banana SLUGS…and we can do something else if you want." Just then the black cat appeared and landed itself on Wybourne's shoulder as they walked. "I dunno, Wybie. We can dig up stuff in the garden." Coraline stroked her finger on the black cats head with a smile, and a purr escaped him. The cat then jumped onto Coraline's shoulder and the two laughed lightly.

"Sounds like a plan." Wybourne said. Then they heard his name being called in the distance, and Coraline smirked "Maybe later." "Yeah…" Wybourne lowered his mask over his face and turned the lens "See ya, I'll ring the door bell." He turned and left, and Coraline in less than a minute made it home. She unlocked the door, and the black cat jumped off her shoulder and ran off to chase down Wybourne. Coraline shut the door behind her and announced herself "I'm home! Mom! Dad!"

"Coraline, hey!" Her father came towards her and gave her a hug, before he held a serious face as she took off her yellow rain jacket and slipped out of her boots "I got a call from the principal, you yelled at a teacher?" "She couldn't hear me!" Coraline protested and sighed "It wasn't my fault! She kept asking me to speak louder, and louder, and louder!" The man smiled "It's fine, let's not mention anything to your mother though…she'll get mad." Coraline made a happy smile, and then the two separated, her father going into the kitchen, and she went off into her room to do her homework.

________________________

"Oh, why hello there…umm…"

"My name's Wybie, Mr. Jones."

"Wybie! That's it! Come on in!"

Wybourne made a nervous smile, before he played with his fingers "Um, actually, I was hoping Coraline could come outside…we're going exploring today." Mr. Jones stared at Wybourne for awhile, and the young boy titled his head. The man then yelled for Coraline, and she came running down the stairs with her yellow rain jacket and her long yellow boots. She nodded "I'm here!" She bowed as if she had performed in front of an audience, and then she stepped outside with Wybourne. Mr. Jones spoke gently "Be careful out there, Coraline…and watch out for your mother, she'll be coming home around anytime now." Coraline nodded, and her dad closed the house door.

"How'd your dad take the news?" Wybourne asked as he and Coraline walked down the path and to the garden, the flowers were fully in bloom now, and didn't look as dead as it did when they first moved in. Coraline sighed "He said it was alright, but it's my mom I need to watch out for…"

"Why? Your mom is scarier?"

"Way."

The two continued to walk, and soon the black cat appeared and leaped on top of Wybourne's shoulder.

Coraline sat down on the old bench in the garden, basically it was the only thing they didn't replace yet. The fog had gotten thick, it was a blanket on the earth floor, but it was typical weather. It was dark out even though it was only the afternoon. Wybourne was used to this, and he paid no attention to the eeriness of it, while, even if she had been there for a year now, Coraline was still feeling awkward and a bit nervous when the fog came in. She sat and watched as Wybourne and his cat assistant walked around carefully and cautiously. The cat was creeping around somewhere within the fog, and Wybourne had his mask on and his lens switched to what would appear as looking through a microscope so he could see better trough he fog and on the ground. He slowly slipped his hands through some black gloves that Coraline didn't even notice he had.

During the silence, Coraline let her mind wander. Though it wasn't much of a silence since Wybourne began to talk to her as if she was listening and talk with the black cat. She wondered about school earlier, how the teacher was being a lunatic and was probably a robot out to get her. She thought about evil adults, and the idea of evil adults brought up the door in her family room…the one that started all of the mess last year.

She zoned back in.

"- and stuff. But it's cool, since my grandma enjoys the company."

She stared at Wybourne, and he slowly lifted a yellow slug with his fingers and held it towards her "Juicy?" "Yeah." Coraline said with no expression. Wybourne threw it behind him, and the cat leaped from out of the fog and bit into it, before falling back down and disappearing.

"Hey, Wybie…can I ask you something?" Coraline asked as she slowly got to her feet and walked over to him. Her hands behind her back and she leaned forward as she walked, as if she was going to interrogate him. Wybourne lifted his mask on top of his head and then started to fiddle with his fingers "What is it…?"

"Remember the stupid stuff that happened last year?"

Wybourne tilted his head to the side, before he nodded and pulled it straight up again "Yeah, what about it?" Coraline walked around him, as if inspecting him, even though it was for no reason and just so she could think about what to say. She breathed in deeply, before answering "Do you think it could still happen?"

"Hopefully not," Wybourne said gently "I wasn't with you there…but I know what I saw when we threw that thing into the well…seemed a bit creepy."

"I'm wondering if the world was left behind, though…not the things and creepy stuff, but the world, you know?"

"I guess…"

Wybourne and Coraline walked out of the garden and went to the front of her house, where Wybourne rushed up to his motor bike and started to smooth it with his gloved covered hands. As if he was petting the cat, speaking of the cat, the black one found its way to him and leaped on top of his shoulder. Then Coraline and Wybourne started to walk down the dirt path that swirled and lead towards the well, Wybourne dragging his bike with him.

"I just wonder, I might wanna visit there." Coraline said after an awkward silence of thinking. Wybourne sighed "Um…didn't we throw the key down the well to get that thing off of you?"

Coraline ran ahead so that she could turn and stop in front of him. She placed her hands on her hips, and Wybourne tilted his head "Hm? Am I right?"

She rolled her eyes "Yeah…"

She then looked back at him "Well?"

"Well what?"

"You know what we should do?"

"No…"

"Get it."

Wybourne's eyes widened and he shook his head "N-No, get it? As in…go into the well and get it? Are you an idiot?"

Coraline glared and huffed "You're the idiot…and it's a great idea, the thing down there is probably dead, and I just wanna take a peek, then we can throw the key away again, right?" Wybourne and Coraline started to walk again, and Wybourne spoke with a scared voice "S-So…Wh-Why the sudden thought of all this?" Coraline sighed and slouched as she stepped "Boredom…I need something new…"

"As always," Wybourne said gently "You're always bored, you should get a hobby so you wouldn't be so bored all the time." "What kind of hobby, Wybie?" Coraline glared "Bug and slug hunting? Stray cat feeding?" She threw her arms out as if she was going to give a falling cloud a hug "Tell me what hobby I could enjoy in a place like this?!"

Wybourne stopped walking and slowly kicked the bike stand out to keep his bike steady. He then slipped the black gloves off of his hands and shoved them into his coat pocket before rubbing the back of his neck nervously "Are you serious, Coraline?"

She nodded slowly.

He looked around, suddenly getting the feeling that they were being watched. With Wybourne hunched like an old man, and his head tilted to the side, he looked like a nervous wreck or that he was paranoid of the world. He then looked back at Coraline "Positive?"

Coraline nodded again.

Wybourne sighed as he kicked the stand for his bike back up and the two continued to walk and soon reached the orchard. The apples and leaves had fallen onto the ground now, some were fresh, some were dead, but the trees always looked dead. The first apple that appeared wasn't on the tree, it was on the ground…Spring was the only time you saw the tree in full bloom, summer was when it all died.

The two walked silently through the orchard and soon reached the mushroom circle. Coraline had nothing to say when she saw it, and Wybourne commented "The mushrooms have gotten larger…"

"And more…colorful…" Coraline added after him.

The mushrooms were as large as soda cans, and for some reason they weren't the yellow they used to be back then. The last time Coraline saw the little circle was when she and Wybourne banished the key to the Other world for good…this was the first time either of them have returned, and it was the same…yet different. The mushrooms were larger, and they were in colors of blue, green, red, orange, and pink.

"Is that healthy for them?" Coraline asked.

Wybourne glanced at her "Are ANY wild mushrooms healthy?"

Coraline smiled at his smart attitude, and they both kneeled into the mud and pulled at the cover of the well. With the extra mud resting on top of the lid, it was heavier than it would have been without. When it was finally removed, the two of them slowly looked down into the well at the pit of nothingness. It was pitch black, like they had remembered, and like tradition, Coraline took a small pebble she found in the mud and dropped it to listen.

She heard the splash, and Wybourne squinted "The well…it's-"

"More full." Coraline finished.

Indeed…the well was filled with more water that somehow managed to slip in. Back then, it took at least a minute or two to hear the stone hit the water at the bottom, but this time it took probably thirty seconds.

"Has this been left open?" Wybourne asked, as if he was worried about it.

Coraline shook her head "I'm not sure, but anyway…we need rope and scuba gear, this is going to be the day we dive in and start the adventures all over again…"

She looked at Wybourne with a small smile "And this time YOU'LL be going with me…"


	2. The Plan

_So please Read and Review (R&R), it would be appreciated. I've had more fans with this story than anything else :D I'm happy. But yeah, FINALLY...chapter two._

_So I'm working on other stories now, and this one wont be updated for QUITE a while...so please don't be impatient...why not check out the other stories I've got?_

_So Coraline doesn't belong to me, and...other characters besides the Coraline characters do. SO yeah...ENJOY! And remember, Curiousity killed the cat._

**Chapter Two: The Plan…**

It took some time for Coraline to get used to Wybourne not calling her JONSEY anymore…

He could never pronounce her name right, so he called her Jonesy, but the more they hung out, the more Coraline corrected him...and the more Wybourne got used to it and the nickname faded away.

Coraline zoned in, and heard Wybourne freaking out to himself.

"I can't believe you really want to do this, Coraline…I just c-can't believe it… it's, it's… wow. You know? Wow…"

Coraline watched the male pace back and forth near the well. She thought that if he continued to do that, he'd miss a step and soon fall. She knew she would save him, but she was also a bit worried since the mud could be slippery.

"Wybie, it'll be fine, trust me."

"Trust you?" Wybourne span around from his own mind and was soon back into reality. He glared at her, but she wasn't used to his angry expressions, so it was a goofy glare to Coraline. But to Wybourne, it was serious and he meant it. "Trust you? What do you MEAN by 'trust you'?!" He huffed in annoyance, and Coraline was surprised. She said nothing, and that gave Wybourne time to think about what he had said. He continued to pace, and then he remembered last year how he came back for the doll he gave Coraline. That was the day she explained everything that was happening, but he didn't listen.

She told him EVERYTHING, EXACTLY everything, he thought she was crazy and ran away. He thought she was crazy, and he was proved wrong when he went for a ride on his bike late. He snuck out his grandmother's house, like he always did to get some air, and heard Coraline's screaming. He was proved wrong that night when he saved her, he was proved very wrong…

He looked back to Coraline and sighed "Sorry about the random outburst, Coraline."

She smiled and bowed her head once, accepting the apology.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try and go back, I mean…I never got to see this 'other world' anyway, it'd be cool if it still existed." He turned his body and started to pace again, letting his dark fingers roll against each other. He slumped like always, and his speech lowered to a mumble.

Coraline continued to watch, soon getting bored, and she lifted from the mud "Wybie, we'll be prepared, so this time there's no way she's gonna trick me." She placed her hands on the sides of her shirt, before realizing they were covered in mud and she lowered them "We'll have each other's back too, Wybie…stop worrying so much," She laughed under her breath "You know, it's kinda weird, you worrying about everything even though you ride your motor bike off road as if it's safe…"

Wybourne gasped "It's not?!"

Coraline laughed, and she rolled her eyes as she wiped her hands on her pants. The black cat; that they both had forgotten about, was looking down into the well with a glare. As if he knew what was going to happen, as if he knew the future. Coraline looked down at him, and Wybourne did the same. They both paused, and Wybourne looked back up to Coraline "He's worried…"

That was right; Wybourne had the strange ability to understand the language of cats…or at least, this particular cat. Ever since she met Wybourne with the stray, he spoke about what the cat talks to him about when she's not around, as if he really talks. In the real world, the world she is in now, the cat didn't speak to her…and normally cats wouldn't, but since anything was possible (she found this out), that meant that the cat simply didn't talk to HER and only to Wybourne…in the other world, the cat spoke to HER and not Wybourne…since the other Wybourne was silent…

She then thought about the other Wybie. Was he fixed back up? She still had the rose she was given from him in her room somewhere.

Wybourne snapped her out of it, and she blinked. Wybourne continued "He thinks it's a bad idea…"

"Well, he's just a cat."

The black cat glared at her, and immediately turned right around, hissed, and walked slowly away down the path. Wybourne and Coraline watched as the cat soon disappeared, and then Wybourne tilted his head to the side. Coraline looked at him, then she looked back at the road before her and did the same. She smirked, then when Wybourne lifted his head back up, she did as well.

She looked at him "So, Wybie, I know you own more of these…gadget thingy's that we might need…most definitely."

Wybourne frowned "S-So what? Doesn't meant that we can use them…most of the old stuff belongs to my grandma, and if she finds out I took her stuff, I'll be grounded forever."

Coraline sighed, and she kneeled back down into the mud, struggling to pull the heavy wooden cover back on top of the well. Wybourne tilted his head again "What are you doing?"

"Putting the top back on."

"Why?"

She looked back up at Wybourne with a puppy eyed look. The look was so mesmerizing; Wybourne thought he would fall into the well. Coraline replied as she stared into the male's eyes "Because…my bestest friend in the whole world won't come with me…"

Wybourne crossed his arms and looked away.

Coraline glared, and she got up to her feet and growled "Fine then! I guess I'll be going by myself, AGAIN! Typical, you're too scared to do anything!" She turned around and began to march off "Seriously! Why do I even bother!? The other Wybie would have come with me! Wybie is just a scaredy cat!"

Wybourne watched as the girl steamed and walking off with her arms tight at her sides. Her hands were in fists as she marched off, and Wybourne couldn't help but smirk. He rushed up to her side, and she huffed angrily, trying to ignore him. Wybourne continued to smile "Fine, I'll get some things…but that doesn't mean you won't be bringing your own stuff." Coraline's bad mood suddenly became a good one, and she immediately grabbed Wybourne's arm and hugged it happily "Thanks! You won't regret this! Trust me!"

Wybourne rolled his eyes, slightly embarrassed from Coraline touching his arm in a way that had never happened to him before. That and he wasn't used to her reacting this way, when she was angry she would abuse him with fits of rage and violence. This was a side of her he seemed to enjoy. "We better be careful, though."

Coraline nodded fast, and the two were headed to the girl's house. It was getting dark, and Coraline knew her mother would be home by the time they reached the Pink Palace. Wybourne was also ready to get home. As they walked, the two planned their meeting to be at three in the morning, where they would bring everything they found with them to dive into the well.

________________________________

Coraline sat in her room on the window bench as she stared off into the night. She had changed into her pajamas; they were a navy blue with white polka dots all over. She had on pants with a long sleeved button top. Somehow, he mother found out about her problem at school, and she was grounded for a week…no going outside after school, no hanging out with her friends, no Wybourne, she could do nothing but sit in her room and roam around lifelessly.

Coraline sighed and looked at her digital clock near her bed on the nightstand. It was two fifteen. She couldn't sleep; she woke up at one…something. She was too excited. There was a small backpack behind her; filled with things she believed were needed. She was wearing her swimsuit underneath her pajamas for when they dove into the well, but in the bag she had her water goggles and flippers for when she went to the pool in her old state. She continued to stare out into the day. It was dark out, of course, so it was more of a night rather than a day. Though since it technically was morning-

She gasped when a dark movement leaped against her window. With a thud, the thing backed away and started to poke at the window. Coraline breathed in deeply and calmed herself, finally realizing it was the stray. She glared at him, and he glared back. She opened the window, and the cat immediately leaped inside and started to clean himself on her lap.

Coraline smiled, and then she looked back at the clock. It was now two thirty-five. She groaned.

The cat noticed, and he mewed to her before walking to her bed and leaping on top of it.

"Maybe I should look over the things I'm bringing…" Coraline suggested as she glanced over at the cat. She then shook her head and changed her mind. She was ready, but she wanted to wait until she knew it was time to go. She wondered if she should just go and meet Wybourne there.

Coraline nodded to herself and slowly got up from the window "Alright. We're off." She moved around the room, slipping out of her pajamas and revealing her dark blue swimsuit. She slipped into a dark grey jacket and placed a hat on top of her head. She slowly slipped into her bright yellow boots, and then she slid her backpack on her back and opened her arms. The Cat took this chance to leap within her embrace, and she held the black stray close to her chest as she carefully opened her door and snuck down the creaking staircase. This took probably a few minutes, since each step creaked so loud that she could hear her parents groan from the annoyance. She was surprised that her mother didn't call for her father to check and see what it was, but she was thankful as well.

She made it to the front of the house, and she opened the door and stepped outside into the cool air. It wasn't chilly, windy, or hot. It felt good, and Coraline took in this moment to breathe and relax. Coraline shut the door behind her and ran off. She ran for a long moment, and then began to gasp for air with each step. She wanted to keep running so she wouldn't miss a beat. She was enjoying this sudden rush. This rebellious rush she was beginning to feel. Sneaking, hiding, adventurous rush that made her heart skip probably a million and two beats.

She reached the orchard and continued running, but now she was running in a slower pace. She was in shape, but she wasn't good enough to run a marathon. She breathed heavily and began to slow down…soon stopping for a moment. The black cat leaped from her arms and Coraline placed her now free hands on her knees to bring more air into her lungs. She then began to walk, and soon she saw Wybourne's bike.

"Wybie?" She called in a tired voice, looking around as she approached the open well. She looked inside, then she huffed and crossed her arms as she wandered next to the motorbike and leaned herself against it. It fell, with a loud thud, and Coraline whistled innocently and walked a little away from the object of Wybourne's affection.

Wybourne was nowhere to be found, but his bike was there. Did he accidentally leave it when the two walked home together? Coraline thought back to the time, and she nodded. He left the bike when trying to help Coraline get into a better mood; which was thoughtful of him to care…since if he didn't she'd beat him to a bloody pulp. She wouldn't kill him; simply beat him to the point which Wybourne would have wished he was dying…

But that option wasn't available now that she knew he cared.

Wybourne always cared; she knew that. It was Coraline who never seemed to care much about Wybourne. Or at least she never showed it. They were friends; they were best friends, closer than best friends but definitely not boyfriend girlfriend material for each other…

Coraline got out of her jacket and boots; she let her feet sink into the mud patch that was beside the well. As she let her toes wiggle, she heard movement not far off, and soon the voice called for her.

"Coraline!"

It was Wybourne, and she smiled a bit and turned her head towards him "Wybie! Took you long enough!" "Are you serious?" Wybourne asked as he approached his bike. It was on the ground in the mud, and he slowly lifted it up and started to clean it off with his gloves "You came here early? You must've been bored; I came on the dot because I was actually sleeping…"

Coraline continued to smile, before she turned her attention to the well in front of her. She let her head stare down at the deep endless abyss "By the way, I'm grounded for a week. My mom ended up finding out…"

"Shucks, sorry."

"Well, I know where I'll be everyday after school, anyway." She smirked and made a small giggle. Wybourne noted that Coraline was in her bathing suit. It was a dark color against her pale skin, but he couldn't tell what color it was from the darkness. It was as if against the dark, Coraline's arms and legs were floating close enough together to form the shape of a body. Wybourne took this time to strip himself of his long black trench coat, and he jumped out of his already large boots. He had on plain swimming trunks, Coraline couldn't tell the color when she checked…but that wasn't important-

Was Wybourne built or what?

"Anyway, we should start." Wybourne interrupted Coraline's sudden thought, as he took off his gloves and put them with his other clothes. Coraline looked back into the well for a moment before she walked lazily over to her bag and pulled out her diving gear. Wybourne pulled out a few more things. He had two pairs of goggles, gloves, plastic bags, what appeared to be a yard of rope, a hook at the end of that rope, two flashlights, and small sticks that one could use to connect to the rope so that it turns into a ladder.

Who knew how to do that? Neither of them, so the sticks were useless; but Wybourne was still prepared, so he brought them anyway.

"Alright," Coraline nodded as she scanned his stuff with her eyes, then she slipped into her flippers and slid on her goggles. She took one of the flashlights and shined it on Wybourne's tummy "I'll go down with the rope to see what I can find, then if I come up with nothing it's up to you, got it?"

Wybourne nodded.

The flashlight revealed that, underneath the trench coat of creepiness, Wybourne WAS fit. He only ran wobbly because of his hunched back. Coraline did not hesitate to compliment "Nice, Wybie… I must say I'm surprised." She giggled and turned around before heading for the well "Looks can be deceiving…"

Wybourne had no idea what she was talking about, though when he thought about why Coraline was shining the light on his stomach, he used his arms to cover himself and he blushed "H-Hey…!"

Coraline smiled as she looked around the well. She turned her head a bit and asked "Wybie, help me bring a big rock over…" Wybie got up and wandered over towards Coraline, and when he stood beside her, he asked "Why?"

"Because I know you probably can't hold onto me for too long, or lift me back up when I'm drowning."

Wybourne hunched over and fiddled with his fingers as he looked around the area. Coraline's flashlight lead his eyes around, before Wybourne spotted a decent rock and he lead the way. Coraline followed Wybourne and when they reached the boulder, it was as tall as an adult; it was as wide as what an obese man would look like. Wybourne and Coraline stared for awhile, both having the same thoughts in mind. Could they actually push this thing? Probably not, but Coraline huffed "it wouldn't hurt to try…"

"It could if we don't be careful, Coraline…" Wybourne warned.

Coraline placed her flashlight down in the mud at the side, then she and Wybourne walked around the large rock and began to push. Both slipped from the mud beneath them, both bumped their foreheads on the rock, and both smashed their faces into the mud.

They coughed in unison as Coraline hurriedly began to wipe her face from the mud and spit out whatever had gotten in her mouth, while Wybourne seemed to take his time. There was a slug attached to his cheek, and he gently peeled it off before he set it down to let it crawl away.

"How much rope do we have?" Coraline said in a hoarse voice. Wybourne got up and rushed over to the rope, then returned with it "This much."

"Okay…" Coraline stared, then she snatched the rope from him and wrapped the end of the rope around the boulder. After she tied it securely and made sure it wouldn't come undone, she threw the loose end into the well. The two slowly walked over and saw that the rope fell into the water, and Coraline lifted it out of the water and noted that only one foot of rope was soaked.

"So…I'm gonna have to swim down and look, then come back up and climb out of the well."

Wybourne nodded in agreement.

Coraline sighed and fixed her goggles and her flippers. She got her flashlight back and sighed "Alright, let's start the plan."

Wybourne frowned and nodded again, he then followed Coraline with his eyes as the girl used the rope to get into the well. She was soon neck in water, and she then held up her flashlight and took in a deep breath before submerging under the water. Her space and air were limited, she had to flip underwater until her feet were above her and her head stared directly down the bottomless well. As she scanned the darkness with her flashlight, she saw something glimmer in the distance; what seemed to be a mile away.

Coraline wasted no time, she didn't have any. Coraline kicked her feet as fast as she could and held the flashlight far in front of her to see where she was going. As she swam, she looked at the well wall that surrounded her. She felt that she was in an old tunnel that was filled up by water centuries ago. She felt like she was some adventurous character in a movie. She continued to swim; the glimmering object came closer into view. It was all the way at the bottom, and when she reached the floor finally, it turned out to be a small silver chain. Obviously it was lost for years, the chain was rusted everywhere except one of the links that had caught sight of Coraline's flashlight.

Coraline was so amazed at the exploration, that she lost track of time. Her air supply ran low, and as she searched for the hand or even the key, she saw air bubbles escape her and she was now suffocating herself. She continued to search though, not willing to give up so easily. The air was departing from her lungs, and when she found what appeared to be a small metal finger, she gasped for air. The only problem with that was that she was under water, and her lungs filled up, and her eyes rolled back as their lids slowly shut.

She became a floating pale diver…a failed mariner. She turned into a gentle statue, a mermaid who couldn't swim. She became a fly in a web, a lost and forgotten archaeologist. She became…a failure. Those were the last thoughts in her mind before she couldn't breathe any more.

__________________________________

No wonder adults were always so boring and strict; they did not want their children to become dead, like Coraline was.

Or at least, that was what she thought.

Coraline coughed and spat, struggling for air as she started to take deep and heavy breaths. Coraline's eyes opened wide to stare into the face of Wybourne. The tanned skinned boy stared into her eyes like he would have never saw her again, which would have happened if it wasn't for him.

Coraline's brown eyes stared for awhile as she took deep breaths, before some water droplets began to fall on her face. She sniffled and shook her head a bit, before she slowly sat upright and cleared her throat. She scanned Wybourne, he was soaking wet with a pair of goggles around his neck.

"Did you save me?" Coraline asked softly. Wybourne shrugged his shoulders and nervously began to fiddle with his fingers.

Coraline smiled, then she frowned and lowered her head in shame "I couldn't get the key…I saw it, but I couldn't get it…"

Wybourne looked at her and cocked his head to the side, before he smiled and picked up something from the mud on the ground. Coraline looked towards him and watched as he cleaned off the item, which soon revealed to be a silver button key. Coraline immediately reached out and took a hold of it, causing Wybourne to lower his hand and look at the key as Coraline did.

The key was black when Coraline last remembered. She continued to scan and stare at it, it was a curious subject. Was the blackness of the key dirt all along? Or did something happen to make it change?

"Did you find the hand?" Coraline asked.

Wybourne arched a brow; before he shook his head "No, I only found the key…"

Coraline nodded, and then she slowly got to her feet. She almost stumbled into the well, and Wybourne immediately grabbed her free hand to pull her back. Coraline coughed a little, still tasting all the water that filled her up, before she wiggled her fingers "I'm fine."

Wybourne let go, and he waited as Coraline got re-dressed in her clothes. Wybourne then did the same, and he headed for his bike "Well, I'll see you tomorrow at school, Coraline." Coraline looked over to him as he started his bike and the lights flickered on "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." She sounded a little sad, or…lifeless. As if she went from the loud obnoxious girl to a suddenly shy and quiet young lady. Wybourne didn't like this, and he got up from his bike and walked over to her. His back was hunched like the usual Wybie, he looked around nervously as well, but the light of the world was beginning to come in…the sun. The sun was beginning to slip up the horizon, and Coraline swore she saw a pink on the male's tanned cheeks.

"Are you alright, Coraline? You seem…"

"Well…I DID almost die." Coraline smirked slightly. Wybourne nodded and looked away as he fiddled with his fingers "Y-Yeah…"

"Thanks." Coraline said softly.

Wybourne looked up and chewed on his lower lip "Huh?"

"Thanks for saving me."

"Umm…"

"I would have died."

"O-Oh… no problem…"

It was silent for a long time, and Wybourne cleared his throat "W-Well then, time for me to go. I'll see you at school." He turned around and rushed over to his bike. The black cat suddenly decided to show himself, and he leaped and landed on Wybourne's shoulder. Wybourne petted the bike, before he patted a finger on the cats head. He turned his own head and looked at Coraline as she stared back "At least tomorrows Friday, no school for a weekend."

Coraline gave a small smile in response. Wybourne saluted, before he got on his bike and flipped his mask over his face. He began to ride off into the distance, and Coraline stood there until his bike lights vanished, before she headed for home. She left all her belongings behind; she wasn't in the mood to pick them up.

She risked her life for something she had a feeling she would regret. The memories of her past adventure troubled her now; would it all simply happen all over again? Would it still be there? The other world? Was risking her life worth it?

The same four questions repeated over and over in her head as she treaded on home, mud boot prints followed her all the way home. She reached the patio and let the door gently creak open…before she looked towards the rising sun and made a sudden smile.

"Extra-definitely."


	3. Brunette

_So I had to update this, :3 this is kind of like an introduction chapter to one of my made up characters in the story. I won't be a spoiler so I wont say anything else but please read and review...send me your thoughts on how Brunette might impact the story! :D_

_This will be my last chapter for awhile, but please enjoy the other stories I have up. Thanks for the love!  
_

**Chapter Three: Brunette…**

Coraline did not get any sleep.

As soon as she got home, she attempted to open the secret door…only to be caught by her mother.

"_This is the worst you have EVER done, Coraline!" Her mother yelled in a fit of rage. Coraline had managed to slip the key into her pocket right before her mother grabbed her ear and started to pull her up the stairs "Sneaking out?! What has gotten into you?!" When they reached her room, her mother gently shoved her inside, then glared into the room "Now, if you want to stay up for such a long time, you can clean your room! You will not be doing anything after school for a LONG time, Missy!" She pulled the door shut, and that was that._

_Coraline took out the silver button key and she placed it in her nightstand by her bedside. She made a small sigh, before she looked at the clock. She was so excited about going to the other world; she couldn't possibly fall asleep at a time like this._

And so, Coraline was in her classroom, sitting behind Wybourne, half asleep at her desk. The uniform didn't bother her anymore, either…now that she had something else to focus on; she didn't worry so much about how annoyingly tight it was around her neck or waist. She took off her colorful gloves so she could rest her head on them. She was actually a moment away from getting to sleep, when Wybourne shook her gently.

"Wake up, Coraline. Ms. Caroline is coming in."

Coraline mumbled as she buried her face in her arms that folded before her. Wybourne only watched for a little, before he looked ahead of him towards the front. The teacher from yesterday came in, and she scanned the room. She saw everyone being very attentive, all except one.

"Coraline!" She called, and the tired girl slowly lifted her head up "Hm?"

"Wake up, this is not the time to be sleeping," Ms. Caroline slowly walked her way over towards her desk "You had plenty time to do so last night, it is the morning! The day is anew!"

One of the girls at the front of the classroom giggled, and Ms. Caroline glanced over towards the area. It went silent, and Ms. Caroline turned her head back around to see Coraline asleep again. She growled "Alright then, sleep all you like… in fact…" She stood beside Coraline's desk, and then she yelled "You can CONTINUE TO SLEEP AFTER SCHOOL!"

Wybourne frowned and let his forehead hit the desk in front of him. Half of the class began to laugh as Coraline looked up and around, not even understanding what had happened. She then looked at Ms. Caroline, who was smiling smugly down at her.

"Ms. Caroline?"

The teacher continued to smirk "Yes?"

"I can't stay after school…I'm grounded."

The class shushed, and Ms. Caroline arched a brow. Her smile faded "Oh, is that so?"

Coraline nodded, before she dropped her head like Wybourne; who continued to pound his head on the desk gently.

Ms. Caroline looked around at the classroom, as the other students started to look at the teacher wondering if she would say something else. The woman cleared her throat "I will discuss matters with your parents then, we can call them after school…" With that said Ms. Caroline walked back to the front of the class and started to teach. It was silent, and Wybourne slowly turned his head and glared "Coraline!" He whispered angrily towards her "How are we supposed to hang out in the other world together if you're grounded and still getting in trouble?"

Coraline slowly lifted her head up "Leave it to me…" She whispered back, then went to sleep.

___

The school bell rang, and Coraline didn't budge. She now knew what was going on, so she knew she had to wait after school for detention since she knew her parents would agree with the teacher and not her.

Wybourne voluntarily staid after school as well only to keep Coraline company…whether they could actually talk in detention or not. Then another girl was staying after class, and Coraline recognized her only because of her name from the first day of school. That was Brunette, she had long light brown hair, and whenever she looked over at Wybourne or Coraline, she would reveal her bright grey eyes. Not even grey, they looked more like silver to Coraline, and they reminded her of the silver button key in her nightstand.

Brunette noticed the two, and she went over to sit by them without the teacher noticing. Brunette had light skin, not as pale as Coraline's, but not too pink. Her silver eyes made Coraline stare in awe, and Wybourne shiver in fear.

The girl smiled widely at Coraline "You're the girl who fell asleep in class, and used an excuse as to why you couldn't stay after school."

Coraline looked at the front of the room, where Ms. Caroline was still talking on the phone to her parents, then she looked back at the brunette haired girl "Yeah, what of it?"

"Well, I'm Brunette." The girl flipped her soft hair behind her shoulders, and she bowed her head to both of them "Pleasure to meet you guys…I'm here because I was passing notes and making fun of Ms. Caroline's serious attitude."

Coraline smirked and chuckled lightly, and Wybourne did the same.

Brunette then added "So when you guys get out of here, wanna hang out?"

Coraline groaned "I'm grounded…" She huffed under her breath, then Wybourne smiled "I'm not. We could, if you want…"

Coraline glared at Wybourne, a little annoyed that the male would leave her, then Brunette shrugged her shoulders "I wouldn't steal either of you from each other, I'd rather hang out with both of you guys."

Ms. Caroline hung up the phone, and it was declared that Coraline stay after school. With a sigh, the three of them waited for a long time for their teacher to dismiss them, before they left school together.

Wybourne was mostly silent as the two girls started to chatter away to each other, and Coraline got to know more about Brunette.

The brunette haired girl laughed "Well, let me think about what's important about me…um." She paused for a little, before she looked at Coraline "I'm fourteen, I like to drink chocolate milk and eat hamburgers. I also like to explore!"

"Me too!" Coraline gasped "Unknown places and curious things!"

"Same here!"

The girls giggled towards each other, and Wybourne only stared at Brunette.

The girl sighed "I was named Brunette after my hair; of course…my mom was never creative." Coraline smirked "You should have asked your dad to name you." Brunette's voice slowly lowered until she went quiet, and Wybourne immediately asked "What's wrong?"

"I don't have…a dad." Brunette frowned. Coraline blushed deeply "Oh… umm… I'm sorry, Brunette. I didn't mean to be rude."

"It's fine, one does not know until one asks." She made a weak smile "Besides, any male adult is like a father to me… they're all so nice." She sighed gently and nodded to herself. The three walked in an awkward silence towards the blue haired girl's home, and when they made it to the pink house Wybourne and Brunette stopped at her door.

Brunette smiled "Maybe we can hang out when you're not grounded anymore?"

Coraline nodded quickly, and she slowly opened her door 'I'll see you guys tomorrow." Wybourne waved, then the door slowly shut and Coraline leaned against it.

She made a soothing sigh, before she looked down at her feet. She slipped out of her jacket and boots, then she heard footsteps come closer until she felt the presence before her.

"Take a snack with you, then go upstairs and don't come out until I call you for dinner." Her mother instructed, and when Coraline looked up she saw her mother's glare aimed directly at her, and she pointed towards the stairs.

Coraline groaned in annoyance, before she dragged her back pack up the steps and went into her room. She shut her door, and she missed dinner later that night.

____

Coraline fell asleep while doing homework in her bed. She woke up with a jolt, from the strangest dream. Brunette's bright gray eyes…they seemed so entrancing. In her dream the eyes were glowing so brightly that they blinded Coraline. Most dreams never made any sense, so she ignored it as she rubbed her eyes.

She checked her clock, it was eight P.M. She rushed to her bedroom door and opened it slowly, peeking outside. The hallway light was still on, and she huffed as she closed her door. She went back to her homework.

She was waiting for her parents to get to bed, when they were asleep she would head through the door. Coraline looked at her nightstand, the silver key inside the drawer, and she sighed with a smile "Very soon…we will see what's going on."

Two more hours passed, and Coraline finished her homework. She put everything away and packed for school tomorrow. She stood at her window, slowly sitting down on the bench and staring out into the night. Brunette…the girl was just like her.

She heard footsteps outside in the hall, and she quickly looked and watched as the hallway lighting dimmed until it was dark. She would have to wait again, but she knew it would be worth it.

____

It was eleven at night.

Coraline was dead tired but she continued to sit at the window. She kept dozing off every now and then, and she would hit her head on the window and wake up with a gasp. She would stay alert, but then she would doze off once more.

She heard soft scratching.

Coraline moaned gently and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She yawned, then she looked down on the window pane and saw the black cat pawing at the window. She smiled and opened the window; the feline slipped inside and landed on her lap. Coraline picked him up in her arms and walked over to her bed "Alright," She said in a whisper and placed him on the bed "I'm going to get into something more comfortable, pajama's sound better than a school uniform."

She stuck out her tongue, and she moved to the door to her room and opened it slightly "Meet me by the other world door."

The black cat squinted his eyes, and he pawed at the air.

"Just do it."

The cat hissed under his breath, before he did as he was told and left the room. Coraline quickly changed into plain yellow pajama's, then she snuck out her bedroom door and rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed the phone, and she dialed the first numbers that came to mind.

A tired voice picked up the phone.

"_My grandma is sleepin', so you're gonna have to call back a little later…"_

"Wybourne, it's Coraline."

The voice on the other end gasped and then there was movement heard on the other line. Coraline waited for awhile before she spoke again "Get dressed and get over here, we're going through the door."

"_Are you crazy? It's late, what if we get caught? You're gonna get ME grounded next!"_

"You always worry so much, just get over here." And she hung up the phone.

___

Coraline was at the little door. Waiting, she was waiting with the silver key pressed to her chest. She was definitely nervous, unsure about what to do. She thought about checking to see if it was actually there or not, but she didn't want to feel any sort of disappointment or anything like that. She was nervous, but excited…and she wanted to keep the feeling.

The black cat would roam around the room, hopping on the sofa and curling up for a little, before he would just jump off and find his way back to Coraline's side.

Then there was a gentle knock.

Coraline jumped, gasping lightly as she quickly turned her head towards the kitchen. The knock sounded again, just a little louder, and she crawled to her feet and ran to the kitchen. She slowly unlocked the door and opened it, trying to keep it from making too much noise, and the fully dressed male stood outside with his flashlight on.

He had his mask over his face, and he wore his usual trench coat. He slowly used his free gloved hand to lift the mask off, then when he did he turned off the flashlight and smiled at the girl before him "This had better be good, Coraline."

Coraline smiled as she slowly took a hold of his wrist and pulled him gently inside. He shut the door behind himself, and he followed right behind her as she led him to the small door.

Coraline kneeled in front of it, and Wybourne slowly did the same.

Coraline took in a deep breath as she slipped the key into the hole. She looked at the darker skinned male, and he returned the nervous gaze. He nodded slightly, before she gave it a quick turn and pulled out the key.

She froze, and Wybourne decided to do the honors and open the door.

___

Coraline slowly opened her eyes, and she let out a light gasp as she lifted off her back…

She was in her bed.

"I was…dreaming?" She muttered in disbelief. She touched her face and shoulders, to see if it was all real, before she turned to her nightstand and saw her alarm clock. It was five fifty-nine in the morning…

"What?!" She yelled angrily, and the minute passed and her alarm yelled back.

She rolled out of bed, and angrily she pulled the alarm plug out of its socket and threw it to the floor. She pulled open her nightstand drawer, relieved that the key was there. But what had just happened? Was she that tired that she missed out and decided to—

The phone rang, and Coraline's mother yelled "I got it!"

Her father soon yelled as well "Coraline, get dressed and get your things! Remember that I'm your ride and I won't wait for you after seven!"

Coraline ended up kissing the silver key, before she put it back into her drawer and changed into her uniform.

She gathered her things, slid on her gloves and put in her hairclip. Not her usual dragonfly, this time it was a purple butterfly.

She hopped down the steps with a nervous smile, wondering about what had happened. It felt so real. She took a quick peek into the family room, and the door looked untouched. She wondered, before she slowly went into the kitchen. Her mother hung up the phone and went to the kitchen table, while her father served up a plate of eggs and bacon and put it down in front of the woman. He spotted Coraline and smiled "Hey, kiddo! Want some green eggs and ham?" He smirked as he turned to make another plate, then he chuckled "Without the green, and the ham?"

Coraline tilted her head and smiled, before she sat at the table. Her mother spoke up as she cleaned her lips with a napkin "So, why is Wybourne calling so early in the morning, Coraline?"

Coraline's eyes widened, and she slowly shook her head "I-I have, no idea…"

Maybe it wasn't a dream, it had actually happened…but some how they ended up being tricked into thinking it was a dream.

Her mother grunted, and she got up "I'm heading to work." She glared down at her daughter "You are to come right home after school, understand? No hanging out." She quickly left with that, and Coraline was given her food.

She quickly ate it all up, and drank down her orange juice, then she called "Dad, lets go!"

With that, Coraline was taken to school in a jiffy.

___

"Yeah, me too. It was completely weird. I was so excited, and I guess maybe we just got exhausted."

"How can we both get exhausted at the same time? How could you fall asleep in my house and wake up in your room? Even if it was just a dream, how could we have the same kind of dream?"

Coraline was in a deep discussion with Wybourne about what had happened. Wybourne, the whole time, had a disappointed expression on his face. He was obviously hoping to see what excited Coraline the most about this 'other world', but then something happened that caused them not to.

After their discussion was paused, school started and the day went by slowly, as always. The only upside on that day was how there was no homework, and they had five minutes of free time since the lesson was done early. At the end of the school day, the bell rang and everyone gathered their things and left.

While Coraline and Wybourne were heading out, someone tapped them both on the shoulder, which caused them to turn.

Bright silver eyes gazed back, and a cheery smile formed on the girls face "What's up, guys?"

Coraline smiled "Nothing really, just chatting about stuff…"

Wybourne nodded and agreed, as the three began to walk.

Brunette frowned and sighed "Aw, you guys got a secret? I wanna know! I promise not to tell anyone." Coraline shook her head fast "It's too much of a secret to just blurt it out. We don't know you well enough." Wybourne nodded in agreement before he added "Yeah, that and right now we're not even sure what to think about it…"

Wybourne looked at Coraline, and she let out a small sigh.

Coraline tried to think about what had happened, then her mind wandered to the key "It used to be black, maybe it's because it's silver now and there's a new door somewhere?" "That's a possibility." Wybourne said softly.

Brunette whined "You guys! Please! I'll be both of your best friends! I'll tell you a secret of my own! Please, please, PLEASE!"

She fell to her knee's and folded her hands as if she was praying to the God's of justice, and the two turned and stared at her. Wybourne smirked and covered his mouth to laugh, before Coraline placed a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes. Brunette was SOMETHING alright…

"Okay. You can't tell a soul." Coraline said coldly.

Brunette got to her feet and rubbed her knees before nodding fast, and the three started walking again.

"There's this door that lead's to another world, in my house." Coraline said softly, and she continued gently "Last year I used to go all the time, until something bad happened… then the small door was locked until me and Wybie found the key again. The only difference is that the key is silver instead of black, and when we tried to get into the door we ended up waking in our beds as if it was only a dream…" Coraline quickly glared at Brunette "Believe us?!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Brunette held her hands up to defend herself, before she frowned "Well, I'd like to see it. Actually, if you guys are having problems I'm known to be a good luck charm!" She smiled proudly, then Wybourne looked at her "We can't risk trying it again, what if the same thing happens? Then what?"

Coraline wasn't sure what to say anymore. She looked ahead and remained silent, the pink palace slowly coming into view.

Brunette quickly added "I have a little door in my house, if you guys are interested. A key is needed 'cause it's locked… my mom doesn't have it, but I've been curious to see what's behind it."

Soon they all went silent. Wybourne and Brunette had smiles on their faces, while Coraline was deep in thought. When they reached her house, Coraline twirled and faced them "Okay…here's the plan. We're gonna try it again, and this time we're bringing the so called 'lucky charm'."

Wybourne parted his lips in a slightly shocked expression, while Brunette smiled happily.

Coraline then spoke again "If it doesn't work again, we might as well try Brunette's door. Who knows, maybe it does lead to the other world?"

Wybourne lowered his head and looked away as Brunette nodded "I'll be here around midnight then." She turned around and waved "Alright! I'll come prepared too! I know it will work this time for you guys!" She ran off without another word, and Wybourne smiled at Coraline "Alright then, I guess midnight it is."

Coraline nodded slowly "Midnight." And she watched as the male turned and walked away.

She sighed and breathed in deeply, before she entered her house.

__

So like before, Coraline waited until that time. Midnight was when Wybourne and Brunette would show up, and they would try to open the door. She was still wondering how they weren't able to enter the door last time… why? She thought that maybe the silver key was the reason why instead of entering… they sort of, exited? She had no idea.

She sat in her bed; the moon's light flew into her room. She was starting to miss her friends back home. They lost touch, they stopped calling and they stopped emailing and things like that…though Coraline was worried… she didn't mind. She had made her own new friends, and she was sure they had made some as well.

It was now eleven fifty-nine, one minute until midnight. Coraline took the key from inside the drawer of her nightstand and headed down the stairs quietly and carefully.

The black cat could have kept her company, but there had been no trace of him since earlier that day when they tried to open the door before.

Coraline soon heard a soft knock at the door, and she went over into the kitchen and opened the door. There stood Brunette, and her silver eyes had a strange glow to them until she stepped inside. The glow faded into grey, and she whispered "Okay, where's the door?"

"We gotta wait for Wybie first." Coraline said quickly as she slowly shut the door.

The two of them waited around for a little bit, soon Brunette wandered out of the kitchen and explored the main floor of Coraline's home. Coraline then heard a soft knock at the kitchen door and she opened it and yanked Wybourne inside.

The male stumbled, before the two of them headed into the family room.

Brunette managed to follow, and the three of them kneeled in front of the small door.

"Okay, this is it." Coraline whispered as she pulled out the key and slowly gave it to Brunette. Wybourne nodded "Our last try…"

Brunette looked at them and nodded slowly, before she looked down at the key. For a moment, Coraline thought she had seen something sparkle in the girl's eyes, but she let it slide as the brown haired girl slid the key into the hole and slowly turned.


	4. The Other Door

_TADA! Updated! :D I hope you guys enjoy, now I must work on my other stories. I decided to work on my most popular fan-fictions since they're getting the most attention. So I've updated CORALINE, HETALIA, and now I'm working on DEATH NOTE. I'm also currently working on a Vocaloid yaoi story. If you want more info visit my profile here :3_

_Anyway, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE after you read it REVIEW IT. I LOVE feedback, help, and compliments. It wouldn't make sense to flame, since if you don't like it why bother reading or favouriting it. So, enjoy please 3_

**Chapter Four: The Other Door…**

Coraline opened her eyes.

She noticed a colorful room, and the colors seemed to dance as if they were at some sort of magical ball. Every color one could imagine swayed too and fro, and Coraline couldn't do anything to stop them, nor did she even want to.

Her bedroom was beautiful, just like the way her Other Mother had made it for her.

The only difference was that there were no magical animals flying about or anything like that.

Coraline stared up at the ceiling, before she let out a relaxed sigh. The door didn't work, again. Maybe it closed for good when the Other Mother died for good…? That would have made sense to Coraline. She believed that was the case.

It felt like a Saturday, but it was probably Wednesday.

She turned her head slowly to her alarm clock, and there was no time displayed in red digits like it usually was. She had forgotten that she unplugged it before out of a fit of rage. The door to her room slowly opened, and it was Coraline's father.

He held his favorite mug filled with coffee in one hand; it was a duck cup, why it was his favorite, Coraline never bothered to ask. He had the newspaper underneath his free arm, and he made a small grimace for a moment as if he had smelled something bad when he entered her bedroom, but soon his face turned into a tired smile which made Coraline smile a little back.

"Hey Kiddo, wake up… school starts soon, and if you want me to drop you off then you might wanna change." He took a few steps into the room, before he sighed at the sight of her alarm clock unplugged. He placed his coffee mug on top of her nightstand, and he kneeled himself down to plug in the digital clock. He stared at the blinking red numbers, before he started to click the buttons to set the time. When that was done, he stood back to his feet and took a hold of his mug, sipping his coffee, then placing it back down again as he stared at Coraline.

The blue haired girl didn't budge, but stared right back, and he huffed slightly underneath his breath "Coraline, you need to get up, change, eat, and we need to rush off to school A.S.A.P., so hurry, hurry, hurry!" He kneeled on one knee and started to tickle her with both his hands, and the girl started to squirm around and let out soft giggles. She reacted like most tired people would when tickled in the morning, slightly annoyed and ticked off that they were being touched, but trying to be polite and not cause problems with anyone to not regret it later.

It was a sign of tiredness, and though she was ticklish, she was always cranky in the morning.

The man stood up and took his coffee, and then he blurted out "Get to it, Kiddo!" And he turned and left, shutting the door behind her.

She groaned from annoyance. She was cranky in the morning, though her dad made her feel better every now and then certain mornings, tickling people who are irritated never was a good idea. But men never get the hint when a woman doesn't like something.

_The door didn't work…_

Coraline lifted in her bed and swung her legs over the edge. She sat there for awhile, before she opened the drawer in her nightstand. The key rested there, untouched.

She took a hold of the key and put it into her carry on bag as she got up and dressed herself for school, and right when she had finished slipping her colorful gloves onto her fingers, her bedroom door opened and this time it was her mother. The woman glared, slight anger in her eyes and in her tone of voice, then again… Coraline had always felt that her mother seemed to look and act as if she was always angry, even when she was sad the woman's eyebrows were furrowed and she was glaring at something or someone.

"Coraline, tell your friend 'Wybie' to stop calling so early in the morning before school, in fact, should he even BE calling while you're grounded? At school, tell him he needs to stop and wait until your punishment is done with."

Coraline nodded slowly as she watched her mother leave, she snorted and huffed.

"Should he even BE calling? You're grounded!!" Coraline mocked in an annoying motherly voice. She made a small smile and chuckle at her own inside joke, before she fixed herself up a little more. Coraline heard a light scratching at her window, and when she turned her head to take a look, she noticed it was the black cat. The cat purred outside at the window, and Coraline quickly rushed to open it. She spread her arms and the cat leaped at her "Aw, I missed you! I was wondering where you've been! You disappeared last time we tried the door…" She stroked him gently, and the cat purred in her care. Coraline carried the cat to her bed and placed him down, where he made circles before he curled up. She smiled as she watched him rest, and then she looked over at her clock. She sighed and bit her lower lip "Well, today I need to figure out a way to enter the door again. But how? It's as if the door stopped working when the Other Mother stopped living behind it…" The cat lifted his head and gazed at Coraline, slightly squinting his eyes as if he was starting to get serious.

Coraline smiled "Well, I'll think of something with Wybie when I get to school." She patted the cat's head, and he slightly groaned in his throat. She finished getting her things, before she took them downstairs and headed into the kitchen.

She sat herself down, and it was typical eggs and bacon.

It was better than what her father USED to cook when they had just moved into the Pink Palace…

She finished up her food, before she got her things and headed towards her fathers car. For the whole ride, she did nothing but think about what she would say when she got to school.

_____

Wybourne frowned as he watched Coraline enter the classroom, and she immediately approached him "Yeah, I'm bummed too." She pulled out the key from her small carry on bag. It was technically considered a purse, since it looked like one. She carried her backpack every now and then to school, but when she didn't have much homework or anything she would leave her backpack at school and simply take her 'purse' with her. When the key was revealed, the two of them gazed down at it in her hand.

"What are we going to do, Coraline?" Wybourne asked gently. He had so much disappointment in his voice that Coraline could have smiled from how cute he sounded, but she didn't… because she didn't like the male like that.

"I don't know." She said in a dull tone. Coraline felt as disappointed at Wybourne sounded, she really hoped it would work, Brunette made her believe that maybe it would work with her around; she claimed to be a luck charm. But it didn't seem to work, so now Coraline, Wybourne, and probably Brunette, would be out of idea's on what to do next. Soon the two were approached by Brunette, whose eyes were wide and she looked a little freaked out. Wybourne sighed "We've gone through it twice already; it's no surprise, Brunette."

Brunette's scared excitement calmed down, then she frowned "Well, now what's the plan?"

"What plan?"

"Well, since Coraline's door doesn't work-" Brunette paused, then snapped a finger that made the other two jump a little "Oh yeah! My door, remember? It looks the exact same as Coraline's, the exact same… strange enough." She looked back and forth from the two, before she looked at Wybourne with a small smile "Remember my idea yesterday? I said that if it didn't work again, we could head over to my house and try my little door! Maybe it also leads to another world?"

Wybourne and Coraline looked at each other, before they looked back at her. Coraline made a small smile "Well, I guess this isn't over yet." She froze, and then sighed "I have to go right home after school, remember? I'm technically grounded…"

"How far do you live, Brunette?" Wybourne asked. Brunette flipped her hair over her shoulder, and slipped some behind her ear "The bus I take gets me right to my house. It doesn't take too long or anything, it probably takes about five-ish minutes." Wybourne looked at Coraline "Unless you have a plan on how else to get to her house, I guess we're taking her school bus, and I already have a feeling that you know how to escape your mom's grip…"

Coraline leaned on one of her legs as she adjusted her gloves, smiling at the dark skinned male "After school, I'll see if I can call my dad and ask to stay after school to help out… Ms. Caroline…" She gagged, and Wybourne smirked. She continued after clearing her throat "Anyway, if he says yes, which he probably will, instead of staying after we can head to Brunette's house." "I guess I can do the same thing." Wybourne said with a shrug of his shoulders "Wow, I've been doing some bad things I KNOW I will regret later… but I guess I'm just too curious about this place of yours, Coraline." Coraline smiled a little again and looked to Brunette. Brunette smiled happily and raised her voice out of excitement "Awesome! So it's a plan! We will go into this epic world no matter-"

Coraline and Wybourne both used their hands to quickly cover Brunette's mouth, and both angrily whispered "SECRET!"

She nodded fast, and they removed their hands.

Ms. Caroline slowly walked into the room, and she told everyone to take their seats. Brunette waved as she took her seat at her desk, and Coraline and Wybourne wandered to the back of the classroom to their own seats.

Brunette smiled as she looked ahead of her, before her smile disappeared and she glanced beside her at the desk of a male. The male looked up from his own desk and smiled towards her, his bright grey eyes seemed to flash.

"I have a secret…" Brunette whispered as class began "Want me to tell you?" They both smirked, and the male laughed gently and leaned towards her "Of course I'd want to know… you know me more than anyone."

Brunette looked behind her over towards Coraline and Wybourne, who were also chatting with each other. She looked back at the male "Okay, you can't tell ANYONE. Here it is…"

* * *

Throughout the rest of class, Wybourne and Brunette seemed to exchange glances a lot. Of course, Coraline only noticed this since those two were her only friends in the school. She had to pay attention to something other than the teacher, and it just so happened to be them. They seemed to smile a lot, Wybourne seemed to turn a dark shade of red every now and then, and if Coraline was able to read lips, she'd determine what the two mouthed back and forth to each other. Coraline wondered if Wybourne had a crush on Brunette, and she also wondered if it was the same for the brown haired girl. Some things she knew would be better left un-touched or left alone, she knew this from experience when dealing with the other world, but sometimes curiosity got the best of people. She wasn't going to ask, but she would always wonder whenever the two of them did things like that… she also wondered why she even cared so much. She wished she didn't, she had too much to think about, but she couldn't help but focus and think about them.

When Brunette noticed Coraline staring, the girl turned and went back to watching the teacher. Wybourne sighed and turned to Coraline, but the blue haired girl lowered her head to her paper and started writing things… actually, she wrote gibberish to simply make herself look busy. Wybourne turned back around, and Coraline looked up. She frowned at the back of the male's head. She wasn't sure why she was embarrassed or feeling how she felt… but she felt it. And it didn't feel good.

_____

Of course she was allowed to stay after school.

Coraline's father seemed excited that she was working hard for extra credit, and Wybourne's grandmother was the same way.

Brunette was packing her things from her locker when she told the two of them that she would meet them outside by the busses. Wybourne and Brunette exchanged glances, and Coraline definitely noticed the male clear his throat and turn away as the girl giggled. They definitely were crushing on each other, she knew… it was obvious, or maybe he was just embarrassed that Brunette was acting strangely around him. Either way, Coraline still didn't like it.

The two of them waited near the busses, and their own bus slowly drove away. "Doesn't Brunette ride our bus…?" Wybourne asked. Coraline's eyes widened, and she glared at the male "You idiot!" She roughly hit the boy's shoulder, and he winced and held onto his now bruised arm "S-Sorry! I-I just realized, but I mean she was walking with us before so I thought-"

"I rode on your guys' bus because you two are my best friends!"

The two of them turned their heads to see Brunette approach them, though there was another male following right behind. Coraline remembered him as Maxwell from the first day of school. Her angered expression didn't change, and she looked at Brunette "Why is he here?"

"I accidentally…" Brunette lowered her head, and she sighed "Well, I kinda told him about the door and everything."

Coraline's face began to turn beet red, and Wybourne stood closer to her just incase she tried to lunge herself and kill Brunette "WHAT?! WE SAID it was a SECRET!"

"I know!" Brunette whined "And I'm sorry, honest! I couldn't help it! Me and Max have been friends for a long time, so I had to tell him! I don't keep secrets from him!"

Wybourne looked at Coraline, and the girl nodded "Fine. Great. We needed some more people on this joy ride anyway."

Maxwell grunted, which was when Coraline noticed he had gray eyes as well. They were a very cold grey though, unlike Brunette's. While Brunette had light skin, long brown hair, and playful grey eyes… Maxwell had short spiked brown hair, a lightly tanned skin tone and mysterious grays. It was actually a little entrancing. Coraline continued to stare at him, causing Wybourne to arch a brow and gently elbow her. Coraline snapped out of it "Well, Max… I guess you have to join. I don't trust you one bit, but since Brunette trusts you I guess we can try to, too."

Maxwell's cold expression softened, though he didn't smile and he remained with his tough exterior. He stared down Coraline like she was some sort of insect, but he was un-successful at making her feel that way, her pride was definitely too great. Maxwell nodded slowly "Alright, sorry to cause so much trouble."

He didn't sound like he was sorry. Coraline arched her brow.

"We're headed for my house now, right?" Brunette asked curiously with a small smile.

Wybourne and Coraline nodded, and the four of them went to the bus and were driven off.

Even on the bus ride, Brunette quickly took her seat beside Wybourne and they chatted away with each other. Coraline was forced to sit with Maxwell, who did nothing but stare out the window as if he felt the same way about her. Maybe they were both in the same boat, neither liking the other. In the end it was still silent, they still were bored as the bus drove on, and Coraline was still wondering what was up with Maxwell… as well as Brunette and Wybourne.

_________

They were dropped off right in front of a beautiful home. It wasn't as big as the pink palace, but it was still just as lovely. The four stood on the sidewalk in front of the house, and when the bus left them alone, Maxwell started to head towards the entrance.

"Come on, you guys!" Brunette said excitedly, and she took a hold of Wybourne's hand as she led the way for him. Coraline took in a deep breath as he watched the two of them walk onward, and she rolled her eyes as she followed. The door seemed to slip her mind when she saw Wybourne and Brunette hold hands. Why did it seem suddenly so serious to just stare and watch them happily walk down to the house? Because they looked like a happily married couple and Coraline wished for that someday? Of course not…

Because she was jealous…?

Maybe.

Coraline held back her feelings. She didn't want to admit it, and she wouldn't. When she had managed to block out her thoughts on what had just happened, the three were waiting for her at the front door. Coraline focused back on the little door they needed to get into. Coraline hurried herself to meet up with the others, and Brunette took out her key to the home and opened the door and let everyone inside.

As they stepped into the place, everyone looked around; even Maxwell, who had probably been there a million and one times since he was Brunettes, quote un-quote, 'best friend'. It was decorated like they were in the Victorian Era. It was gorgeous, fancy paintings and vases were displayed wherever they looked. A rich red carpet ran throughout the house, the walls were a very dark and shined wood. Coraline smiled as she walked deeper inside, and Brunette tapped her shoulder to snap her out of it.

The brown haired girl smiled "Well, let's go into the family room. You can drop your school stuff here if you want." Maxwell was already leaving the three of them as Wybourne, Brunette, and Coraline started to slowly drop their school bags. Coraline kept a hold of her small messenger back, and Wybourne managed to pull out his gloves and slip his fingers into them. Brunette walked down the hall, and took a right by the stairs that led to maybe the bedrooms. Coraline and Wybourne slowly followed, and strange enough the family room was designed the same way as her own room where her own little door was made.

There was a fire place, snow globes displayed, and sure the painting above the fire spot was different… but it was all the same.

Wybourne noticed this and felt awkward, while Coraline was in a trance from the beauty of the home and had no idea as she followed Brunette. Brunette kneeled in front of her small door, and she felt around it "This is it, I'm sure it'll will work this time." Coraline kneeled beside Brunette, and Maxwell got on his knees behind them.

He then peeked over the girls' shoulders "It didn't work last time? What happens if it doesn't work?"

"Life will act as if it never happened," Wybourne said in a nervous tone "We'll fast forward into the future and be in our beds, the next morning."

Maxwell bit his lower lip.

Brunette smiled at them "Don't worry, this time it will work! I know it will!"

She looked back at the door, and then looked at Coraline "The key?"

Coraline flinched into reality, before she reached into her bag and pulled out the silver key. Brunette took it slowly from her, and held it close to her face; analyzing it form top to bottom. Maxwell got close too, and the two of them stared and gazed at it. Their eyes seemed to glow, and for a moment Coraline was thinking that their eyes made the key glow. But she was just imagining it as the key was lowered to the keyhole of the little door.

"Next stop, the other world…" Brunette whispered as she slid the key into the keyhole. The three of them gasped, surprised it actually fit. Maxwell had no idea what it was about, but he gazed at Brunette as she turned the key.

She then paused and waited, lifting her head to Coraline "D-Do you think it's gonna happen again…?"

Coraline was silent, and she lowered her eyes to the red floor "I don't know… we have to find out."

Brunette looked at Wybourne, and he blushed a little "Go on."

Brunette nodded and looked back down at the key. She shut her eyes tightly "Here we go-"

Brunette slowly pulled open the little door with her eyes shut. Surprisingly, everyone had the same idea. Their eyes were closed tightly as the door was opened, but when Coraline felt a light breeze touch her face. She smiled.

"I knew it."


	5. A Clean Slate

_Uzumaki Ayame at your service! Was inspired to start working again by someone known as Wybie's Stalker lol, if you're reading this Ms. Stalker, thanks!_

_Anyways, trying to work and finish one more chapter, school starts tomorrow, and I also gotta start making some munnies or else no more internet :( Read and Review please! This time flames are welcome lol I don't care._

_This chapter was longer than I expected, or even hoped, the ending was also a little surprise for me, but it definitely leads into the next chapter I assure everyone._

_Coraline is feeling a little confused with herself, and Wybie isn't entirely sure how to read her anymore. If Coraline doesn't do something soon..._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Five: A Clean Slate…**

Coraline was the first to open her eyes, her wide smile stuck on her face like glue. She shook Wybourne's shoulder, and he just shook his head, turned to her and covered his eyes with his hands. Coraline giggled lightly, before looking at everyone else.

"You guys…" She said gently, the smile still stuck to her face "Open your eyes and look."

All three of them nodded at the same time, before they opened their eyes one by one. First Wybourne, whose expression was priceless to Coraline. Wybourne looked scared out of his mind, but in his eyes she thought she saw something spark, something amazing, some glimmer of excitement from him. He may look scared as heck on the outside, but inside, what if he was freaking out from excitement?

Then it was Maxwell, his mouth was partially open, his expression duller than ever, but at least Coraline knew that he was surprised.

Then, Coraline turned her head to Brunette. The brown haired girls face was as bright as sunshine. Her hair was slightly blowing behind her, the loose strands of her long copper hair blew through the breeze as if she were slowly, gently, falling into happiness. Brunette was smiling as wide as Coraline, and Brunette returned Coraline's gaze, and replied "This. Is just awesome."

Coraline shook Wybourne's shoulder to get him out of his trance, then when he looked at her, she signaled everyone to follow her lead as she began to crawl through the little doorway and into the colorful breezy hall. The colors span and swirled around them, and a light breeze came from the other side, but that little door was closed, so it was even more amazing that wind was coming from that end.

Coraline held the key in one of her hands as she crawled, and Wybourne was right behind her, followed by Maxwell, then by Brunette, and the four of them crawled onward. Coraline was focused right ahead at the locked door before them as it was coming closer to view, as the other three followers were looking around them at the different colors and emotions that seemed to come with them. When Coraline reached the door, she took her silver button key and unlocked it, remembering that the Ghost Children had told her there was only one key, and this was that one.

She unlocked the door and opened it, but to her surprise, the family room was only half made, and the half that would have lead to the hall instead lead to nothing but white. It reminded Coraline of when she ran out the house to escape the Other Mother last year, but instead of running away, she ended up on what looked like a blank canvas, before being lead right back to the Pink Palace again.

She got out of the little doorway and stood up, soon helping up everyone after her, and they all had a chance to look around. Wybourne spoke first.

"S-So… this is everything you've said it would be…?"

"Not exactly." Coraline frowned "I don't understand really, maybe it's fixing itself from what happened?"

Brunette and Maxwell were too busy gazing around the area to even listen to what the two were talking about, then Wybourne jumped, startling everyone "Wait, this is kinda like your house, Coraline."

Coraline arched a brow, before realizing the same thing. It was supposed to be Brunette's Other World, but instead, the door lead them to Coraline's Other World. When Brunette gasped, everyone turned their heads to see the family room slowly fix itself, and soon the doorway, the front door, the hall, and as they followed the path, the kitchen and the kitchen door was formed. The four of them stepped out of the kitchen and onto the back porch. They saw that everything was the same.

"So, is the Other World strictly meant for Coraline?" Brunette smiled and looked at Maxwell. Maxwell shrugged, but nodded right after "Looks like it to me."

Coraline made a fist, and smashed it into her hand "So it seems. The Beldam said that everyone had an Other World of their own… or Other Parents… that must've been a lie too."

The four went silent as they backed away from the Pink Palace to take a look at it. The outside of the house was fixed and looked perfect, even the land and the world around it, but it was as if the Pink Palace had yet to be explored or remembered, so it was working slow. So Coraline decided to give the tour of the outer area, though some of the path that lead to the well was gone, not even the well or the tree's were there.

"I guess it just need's time to rebuild itself before anything cool can happen, right Coraline?" Wybourne asked with a small smile. Coraline frowned to him, his smile looked like that of a disappointed persons "Yeah…I guess so…"

They all walked around, slowly walking onto the blank pages of the world, and strolling. Coraline was a little upset that it wasn't even finished yet, after a year even? Then again, she hadn't recalled ever seeing a look-a-like doll or anything of the sort, so she was also not surprised that whoever was creating the Other World was working slower than ever.

Then Brunette stopped, causing everyone else to, and when everyone looked at what the girl was gazing at, they all dropped their jaws.

It was a neighborhood, but not just any…

"It's Brunette's neighborhood!" Wybourne announced, causing Coraline to punch his arm from announcing the obvious.

"OW!"

Wybourne rubbed his arm, but continued to stare with the blue haired girl, and Brunette started to run "What if they have my house?"

The others chased right after her, Maxwell simply running after everyone. Brunette made it to her own home, and quickly barged through the front door to see everything. As soon as Coraline and Wybourne joined her, they gasped from shock. It looked like everything was there, like somehow they had managed to make Brunette's home exactly, just not Coraline's.

Coraline crossed her arms as the two of them stood there while Brunette was running around the house, as if in a panicked excitement. She then stopped at her stairs, staring down at the two "E-Everything… everything is here. This is my Other House!"

Coraline jumped "Really? How is this happening?"

Maxwell finally walked through the doorway, his expression still as blank as ever. Coraline gazed at him, before arching a brow and turning back to the others.

"Isn't there supposed to be some Other Father here, Coraline?" Wybourne asked curiously as he wandered into the family room of Brunette's, who followed him quickly. Coraline nodded "Yeah, but he hasn't showed up, and wasn't in the house or anything…" She frowned a bit, her hope slowly dimming "What if… he really is gone…?"

Brunette looked back towards Coraline "So, how is all this happening? How isn't your house built but mine is, even my entire neighborhood…?"

They all paused and tried to think of some reason, any reason that this strange thing was happening. But Coraline had no idea, until Brunette quickly said "Spies?"

They all froze, and then the three of them busted out laughing with each other. Coraline herself knew that wasn't the case. She once again looked towards Maxwell, and Maxwell, of course, wasn't laughing or doing anything, just standing there.

Coraline gritted her teeth, before going silent and waiting for the other two to calm down. "Well, not much here to do until it's finished I guess, should we just head back?" Coraline asked everyone. Wybourne immediately nodded, while Brunette nodded slightly, and at this point, those two were the only answers she cared to hear, Maxwell was creeping her out.

The four of them walked out of Brunette's neighborhood and back to Coraline's home, entering the house through the front door and seeing nothing but a hallway leading to the kitchen and the family room, and now they saw before their eyes the staircase that lead up, but lead to no where. They followed the path to the family room, then Wybourne quickly kneeled down and started to crawl, followed by Brunette, then when Coraline was about to go after, she quickly moved out the way and glared at Maxwell "You next, Max."

Coraline was getting curious as to Max's purpose of being there with them. He didn't seem surprised by anything since they had gotten there and crossed over. No excitement was coming from him, and no good vibes either. She was a little nervous that while she was crawling back to the real world, he'd stab her in the back somehow and drag her under. Though she was nervous and creeped out by him, she showed a strong expression that did not budge.

Max arched a brow, before glaring back and kneeling down, starting to crawl through. Coraline took her key out, got down on her hands and knees, and crawled through, carefully turning so she could lock the door behind her, then follow the others out back to Brunette's real home.

* * *

Maxwell was gone, though to Coraline, it was more of a 'finally gone, sheesh what a buzz-kill' than a just 'gone'.

The three of them still had time to hang out before Coraline had to be home and in her room, and Wybourne made sure to keep track on his watch for her. They all sat in front of Brunette's house, sitting at the steps and simply chatting away about the Other World and its strangeness, before Coraline had to bring it up.

"You know, remember when you suggested that spies might be stalking us? And making the Other World until the Other Father or someone gets there?" Coraline asked and looked to Brunette, causing the girl to flip her hair from one shoulder to the other and nod "Yeah, so?"

"Maxwell is kinda scaring me." Coraline shrugged her shoulders a little, looking down as she started to kick her feet a bit "He was acting suspicious; he didn't seem so surprised about anything. He was just there, watching us, doing nothing. That's really creepy. What if he's a spy…?"

Wybourne scratched his head, a leaf falling from his hair, and nodded a bit "Yeah… he was acting weird while we were there. He did act like he had seen it before or something…"

Brunette blinked, and her expression looked as if she were confused "Really? That is a little weird. I think I'll talk to him about it—"

Coraline grabbed her shoulder "Don't! If he IS a spy like we think, he could do something... bad or something… couldn't he?"

Brunette shivered "Who knows, but don't worry about me, he's my best friend, I'll ask him what's up and maybe he'll just tell me something. He couldn't be a spy… he just couldn't…"

Wybourne looked down at his wrist watch, before hopping onto his feet. As soon as he did this, Coraline took that as a signal to do the same and hop on her own. Wybourne nodded to her "Yeah, it's time to head home."

"I'll call you later, Brunette, okay?" Coraline asked, but didn't wait for a reply as she and Wybourne strolled off and started to walk to the Pink Palace.

Brunette waved to them quietly, with a small smile on her face, before she lowered her arm and pressed a curious finger to her cheek, as if in deep thought.

* * *

It was late afternoon, the sky was dark, and the sun had just vanished behind the horizon line. Once again, Coraline was stuck in her room, grounded still. Though when she had made it home, her mother actually said she was surprised that Coraline offered to do extra things around the school. She said that because of that, her punishment was less severe.

Meaning pretty much that Coraline didn't have to be stuck in her room without TV or anything, just couldn't go outside after school.

But Coraline didn't mind her room. Without any siblings or friends around, she was stuck between choosing to hang out with her parents, or her imagination… guess what she chose.

Coraline sat at the windowpane, looking outside as the stars started to appear one by one in the sky. Sometimes Coraline wished she was an artist who could paint or draw whatever she saw, because she enjoyed calm moments like these, especially in a crazy, weird life of hers.

Her usual guest knocked at the window before her, and she slowly opened her window for the black cat to waltz in and onto her lap. Coraline pet him quietly with a small smile on her face, before she looked back up towards the outside world, and it was night time.

"The stars are always beautiful." Coraline commented.

The cat made a small purring noise as she stroked his body, and she smiled down at him "What have you and Wybie been up to? Since I left Brunette's and had to go home? Hunting creepy, dead stuff?" Coraline didn't expect the cat to say anything as she looked back up out the window. She stared outside once again for awhile, before she seemed to have dozed off, or at least that was what she thought she did… she wasn't entirely sure.

She had only closed her eyes for a second, then when they opened, the black cat was gone. The window was closed, and she was alone in her dark room, with no light but that of the moon shining upon her and her seat. She adjusted in her seat, rubbing her eyes, before looking at the digital clock by her nightstand, it was flashing twelve o'clock AM on and off, as if it were unplugged and re-plugged into the wall. She frowned as she got up to set the time, but then she realized she didn't even know WHAT time it was exactly. Then she heard tapping.

Was it tapping? What was that? Coraline turned her head, to see a small pebble thrown at her window. She ran to it and peeked down, looking down at a mask covered Wybourne who was searching for another rock to throw.

Coraline opened her window and yelled "Hey! What's up? I was gonna call you!"

Wybourne simply looked up to her, then waved his hand to signal her to come down, only the three green eyes of his magnifying mask looked back at her, before she watched as he pulled around to the front door.

Coraline peeked out her room, then hurried down the stairs as quietly as possible. It was late she thought, the lights were all out, and her parents weren't anywhere in sight. She opened the front door carefully, before seeing Wybourne on his motorbike, revving it up as if getting ready to race with someone. Coraline simply assumed, since he wasn't getting off his bike, that he wanted her ON it, and she got behind him as he peddled and drove off. Wybourne made his bike a little confusing… it had a motor, a horn, and a bunch of things that a motorcycle would have, but it had peddles, which was strange enough, but it was Wybourne she was thinking about.

Wybourne drove her all the way to the secret well, and he stopped the bike, and took off his mask. He showed his face to her, and Coraline made a light smile "Um, so… what's going on?"

Wybourne simply gazed at her, with a creepy expressionless gaze, before throwing his mask to the muddy ground and nudging his kick-stand for his bike with his foot. He then wandered to the well, and lifted the well covering on his own. ALL. ON. HIS OWN.

"Wow, Wybie…" Coraline said, quite amazed at the sudden strength the night gave him "Never knew you could do that…" She was trying to tease him, wondering if he'd make a come back to defend himself, but he didn't.

He looked up at her, before he lifted, and turned his back to the well, but was standing near the edge. Coraline blinked, frowning a bit "W-Why aren't you talking, Wybie? And be careful… w-watch your step please. I didn't do anything bad did I?"

"I'm going to live with the Other Mother, Jonesy."

Coraline gasped "What? Are you crazy?" She glared "I told you everything she's done! She's crazy! She'll only eat you alive!"

"You're a liar!" Wybourne turned to her, his eyes were actually filled with tears, and as soon as one fell down his dark face, it started to drizzle, and that drizzle turned into rain, as if the weather matched with his heartache. "You talked to ghosts? GHOSTS. How can I believe something THAT ridiculous?" Wybourne sobbed, and managed to cough out another sentence "I thought… we were best friends… but you lied… about everything… just because you're too SCARED to get button eyes, but I'm NOT!"

Coraline jumped "Wybie, are you serious? You think I would LIE about something like that? Why would I lie to you? Of all people? You're my best friend, the best one! I mean—who even brought this up?"

Suddenly Wybourne turned to face Coraline, while still keeping his back facing the well, and out of the darkness of the well behind him came a body, a long body, almost snake like even. It was pale white, but suddenly its face rested on Wybourne's shoulder, but Wybourne remained glaring at Coraline, his eyes filled with tears that continuously fell, before he whispered coldly "HE did."

The blank face was suddenly recognizable, it was the Other Father.

Coraline glared and pointed "Other Father? What did you tell him? I thought you were good!"

"Coraline, Coraline, Coraline…" The Other Father smiled slyly, his eyes were silver buttons that sparkled with the sudden flashes of lightening "You were the liar… you said that Other Mother ate the souls of children… she only ate away at their love, until there was no more left…"

Coraline stepped back from shock "Wh-What? So…that means—"

"You LIED Jonesy!" Wybourne screamed, causing Coraline to slip in the mud and fall butt down into it. Her own eyes were beginning to water as the Other Father's snake-like body started to twirl around the dark skinned boy.

Wybourne sniffed back "I never had a mother, never had a father either, but I know that Other Father will love me… no one loves me here."

Coraline struggled to her feet, but suddenly the mud underneath her started to bubble and form little hands that held her down into the mud, sinking her in. She could only watch as Other Father wrapped his body around her best friend even more, before squeezing, and licking his lips with his long snake like tongue "I will always love you, Wybie… because children are so delicious…"

Wybourne's eyes changed into that of a button's, and Coraline started to kick and scream "No! No Wybie stop! Wybourne, don't do this!"

Wybourne frowned and whispered "Good bye…Jonesy…"

The Other Father's tongue darted right into his ear, causing the boy to fall back into the well, and soon Coraline was breathing and swallowing mud as it continued to storm "This can't be happening! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Coraline cried and screamed "Why? WHY WHY WHY WHY!" Yelling and calling for help before suddenly Brunette's face appeared before her, her silver eyes slowly sank into their own sockets, before dripping out of the now skeleton girls mouth, she screamed:

"WHY DOESN'T FATHER LOVE ME?"

* * *

Coraline flinched, and fell off of the windowpane, causing the black cat to let out a loud surprised growl and a dart for the window, jumping out and running off.

Coraline stumbled around, trying to lift up and gain her composure, checking the window to see that it was wide open, and now a cool chill was coming in. She hurried and shut it, locking it and looking down towards the outside ground. Nothing unusual.

She was breathing heavily, her bangs were clinging to her forehead from sweat, and she was scared out of her mind. She checked her clock, and it glowed 10:00 PM.

It was a dream, it was all a dream. Coraline collapsed onto her bed, and she tried to take deep breaths to continue and calm herself down. After about 5 relaxation techniques, she had already forgotten pretty much the whole dream, all except Wybourne's face, everything he said, at least, the one thing she was focused on was when he started crying…

"_I never had a mother, never had a father either, but I know that Other Father will love me… no one loves me here."_

Wybourne's grandmother loves him, his friends love him, his neighbors, even Coraline loved him—in a best friend way… she thought at least. So what made Wybourne act like that?

The fact he never had real parents?

Coraline touched her forehead; she knew it was all just a scary dream, but Wybourne…

She remembered that she was supposed to call Brunette, and never got around to it since she had fallen asleep. She hurried to her door, slowly opened it up, and hurried down the steps of her home to the kitchen where the main phone was at. She noticed the plate that was on the table for her, and it actually looked like a decent meal too. She carried the phone with her to the table, she couldn't carry it anywhere farther since it had a cord connected to it, but she sat herself down and ate the cold leftovers from dinner that she had missed, while dialing Brunette's house. When she heard a tired boy on the other line, she realized she had called Wybourne, but she was relieved, and actually made a sad smile as she heard him recite his usual late night caller speech:

"_My grandma is sleepin', so you're gonna have to call back a little later…"_

"Wybie, it's me."

Wybourne cleared his throat _"C-Coraline… wh-what's up? Why are you—well, nevermind."_

Coraline giggled, before smiling "Actually, I just wanted to hear you really."

Wybourne was silent.

Coraline continued, dropping her fork as she remembered Wybourne's expression in her dream "I had… a terrible dream, Wybie…"

She covered her mouth, slightly scared that she still remembered some of it, and that creepy snake thing that pulled Wybourne down the well. Even now she could remember what it looked like, but not who it looked like. She covered her mouth to keep her from sobbing into the phone, choking herself so that it sounded like she was coughing rather than starting to cry.

A gasp was heard on the other end _"J-Jonesy?"_

He seemed to have gotten into the habit of only calling her that when things were serious.

Coraline wiped her eyes "Sorry, I just wanted to hear you… I had a bad dream, and… yeah."

"_Want me to come over?"_

Coraline licked her teeth, she got a piece of meat stuck in between her canine choppers "Wh-What? No, I just wanted to talk…"

"_I'm coming over." _And with that, the other end clicked. Coraline was frozen, before she stared at the phone as if there was something weird going on with it. She didn't mean for Wybourne to be forced to get up or anything; or even sneak over and into her house, she just wanted to talk, to make sure he was okay, to re-assure her own self that it indeed WAS only a dream.

It would be awhile until he would actually make it over, even on bike, so she reminded herself she needed to get rid of the nasty thoughts to call Brunette.

She dialed, called the wrong number, and hung up. It was some creepy guy with a French accent that she couldn't even understand. So this time she grabbed the paper Brunette had written her number on from her backpack in her bedroom, then ran back and actually called her this time.

Brunette picked up the phone easily, without any grogginess like Wybourne would have had _"Hello?"_

"Brunette, hey, sorry I'm calling so late, I ended up falling asleep." Coraline chuckled nervously, seeing if she was safe or if Brunette had gotten angry with her.

"_Oh, it's fine, was kinda busy today actually, doing homework, cleaning and chores and boring stuff like that, if you had called anytime earlier than 8, we couldn't have talked much anyway."_

Coraline was safe.

"_So what's up Coraline? Secret business talk and stuff? I'm excited! Can't wait for the Other World to be finished, can you?"_

Coraline smiled "Yeah, it's exciting stuff. Listen, I need to tell you everything."

There was a silence on the other line, and Coraline cleared her throat gently, before she actually got a response _"Everything? What do you mean?"_

"I only told you about the Other World, the Other Father, and all that small stuff, but I need to tell you, warn you about everything that happened to me last year in the other world."

Brunette made a pig like squeal, only that of a 14 year old girl _"Spill it! RIGHT NOW!"_

_

* * *

_

"Alright, see ya tomorrow." Coraline said before hanging up the phone. There was a gentle knock at the kitchen door, and she quickly walked up to it, spotting the masked boy in the long trench coat before her. He lifted his mask over his head, and he kicked the stand for his bike, before smiling at her "Hey, what's up?"

Coraline shook her head, and Wybourne tilted his, slouching as if disappointed "What? But I thought—"

"I just wanted someone to talk to, not someone to come over and risk getting caught just to talk to me in person." She leaned against the wall near the doorway, crossing her arms over her chest "I'm fine now… really I am."

Wybourne stepped into the kitchen, looking around curiously. He straightened his back, making him stand taller than Coraline, though when he hunched again, he was shorter once more. Scoliosis, it looked terrible…

Wybourne then turned to her, and he frowned "Are you sure you're alright? You sounded like you were gonna cry, Jonesy."

Back to the seriousness.

Coraline was relieved he had come to see her, so that she would know she wasn't in another dream, but was upset that he came all this way just for her. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she was.

Wybourne touched her shoulder, and she shook her head "Wybie, get back to bed, I'm going to sleep."

Wybourne slowly let his arm fall, and he nodded "Oh-Okay… see you tomorrow at school, Jonesy."

Still with the seriousness.

Wybourne headed out, but when he was at the doorway, he stood there for a moment, and spoke up, not turning to face her "Glad it's gonna be the last day befor the weekend, right?"

Coraline nodded "Right."

Wybourne walked to his bike and started it up, before he switched the lights on, flipped his mask over his face and turned on the green glowing night-vision or whatever, Coraline didn't wait to watch him leave, she closed the door, then leaned against it.

She wondered what came over her. She seemed, rather cold and mean to him just now.

She wondered if this was the cause of the dream. Was the fact that she wasn't expressing any real feelings to him bringing Wybourne to his downfall?

On the other side of the door, Wybourne sat on his motorbike wondering the same thing.

* * *

Coraline distracted herself when she was in bed by thinking about what she discussed with Brunette. She told Brunette everything, about the Beldam, about how the witch tried to keep her there by tricking her, she even told her about Other Father and how he had saved her life. She told her everything, and everything seemed clearer to Brunette.

The brown haired girl was so happy on the other side of the phone, but then reminded Coraline that she never had a father, but also added that Maxwell never did either, and how that could have been the reason why he was acting so weird. Coraline accepted it, then when she was about to hang up, Brunette mentioned that they all should try their best to make sure the Other Father is safe, and to thank him for saving Coraline's life.

The blue haired girl agreed, before hanging up, then Wyourne showed up.

Coraline huffed and covered her face with her pillow. She kept thinking about him, why? That dream, that nightmare, Wybourne wouldn't get angry over nothing would he? Coraline KNEW the Beldam ate children's souls… the ghost children even said that she 'ate up their lives', what else does that mean?

She would never lie to Wybourne… never ever. They were best friends…

Coraline snuggled into her blankets, sighing and trying to get to sleep. When she finally did, she dreamed about having a picnic with someone in the meadow. Someone familiar. When she did recognize who it was, she realized she had missed him for so long, then the figure held out a rose, the rose was dead, and crumbling, the petals fell and crunched up into bits when it hit the ground, but Coraline took it and held it close to her heart.

It was the Other Wybie's gift to her when she performed with Ms. Spink and Forcible.

"_Oh, Wybie…"_


	6. Girls Day In

_Two chapters in one day? WHAT A DEAL! :D Actually, it's going to hopefully be three, because this is only half of what I wanted it to be, I decided not to write an 11 or 12 page chapter, so this is part one of 'Girls Day' two part chapter. I hope everyone enjoys, and hopefully you'll expect another chapter later today too!_

_So a little **warning**, The rooms of the house may not be based on the movie, but I remembered the Wii Game for Coraline and based it off of that memory, excluding the extra bedroom. And also, Mr. Bobo is speaking in his accent, so when reading his speech, just imagine HIM talking that way and it'll be a little more understandable._

_Read and Review please!_

_~Uzumaki Ayame..._

_P.S.~ Do not own any Coraline based characters, All characters except Wybie Lovatt and his grandmother belong to Neil Gaimann, Only characters I own are made up characters by me, such examples are Brunette and Maxwell. Thanks and enjoy!_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Six: Girl's Day In…**

It was finally Saturday morning.

Coraline woke up to an alarm clock; it woke her up at six. Of course, it wasn't because she accidentally set it thinking today was a school day, she set it because she wanted to have the longest Saturday ever, rather than sleep in and only have a half day.

She also felt awkward from yesterday; she definitely wasn't in the mood to see Wybourne today. On the last day of school before the weekend, she and Wybourne weren't acting so friendly, probably from the night before when Coraline seemed to give Wybourne the cold shoulder. They gave small glances to each other, said their hello's and goodbyes, and even hung out a little after school when they walked to her house together, but there was nothing but silence between them, until Coraline entered her house, and watched through her bedroom window as he drove off home, without a word or an attempt to talk to her…

So she wanted a long day without hanging out with Wybourne, and forgetting about everything. But she wanted someone around to distract her from her own personal issues, so she needed to think. She did have other friends besides Wybourne and Brunette, but they were the closest, and the others she hasn't even bothered talking to lately… well, they haven't bothered with her either so why should she care?

Coraline stretched in her bed, scratching under her arms, then her messy blue hair. It had actually started getting longer, she wondered if she should either let it grow or just ask her mom to cut it for her. She may not be new to Oregon anymore, but she definitely still didn't trust some of the weird people of the shops and stores, and going to a barber was not an option.

She decided she'd call Brunette, and knowing her, she was already awake waiting for her call.

Coraline giggled at this thought, and simply unbuttoned her pajama top to let some air in. She was getting hot in her room, and her arms were getting itchy.

* * *

Coraline was in the kitchen at the table. There was a little TV there, high in the corner of the kitchen for when her family had no time to sit down and just watch it calmly.

Mr. Jones was grabbing bowls, pouring random cereals into each, then tossing one at Coraline, then Mrs. Jones, then he placed one at an empty spot on the table for himself. Coraline stared down at hers, and stuck out her tongue when she noticed it was some crappy looking plain cereal. She looked over at her mother's, who was typing away at her laptop and didn't seem to notice, and she realized that their bowls were definitely mixed up.

Coraline quickly swapped the Bland Flakes with the Frosted one's, just in time for Mr. Jones to sit himself down with his family and place the milk at his side "I'm surprised you're up so early, Coraline." He said with a tired smile, grabbing the milk carton before Coraline could snatch it. "You don't usually wake up this early unless it's either school or you have something up your sleeve." Coraline groaned as she watched the man take forever to pour the stupid milk into the stupid bowl, then as soon as he set it down, she hurried to grab it, only for Coraline's mother to claim it first.

"I'm surprised myself, she's not entirely a morning person, either." Mrs. Jones made a small smirk as she poured into her bowl with one hand and typed away at the laptop with the other. When she finally stopped, Coraline grabbed the carton, only to feel how light it was, and peek inside and realize it was empty.

Coraline let out a loud dramatic groan "Takes one to know one, Mom! You stole all the milk!"

Mrs. Jones chuckled "Stole? I didn't steal anything, Coraline, you were just too slow." She teased her daughter, and Coraline huffed and slumped into her chair.

Mr. Jones patted his girl's hair "There, there, sweetheart, I'll make you some eggs and bacon before I head out, how does that sound?"

Coraline nodded fast without hesitation as Mr. Jones drank whatever remained in his own bowl, and he jumped up from his seat, grabbing his empty bowl and Coraline's filled one. Right when he reached the kitchen sink, Mrs. Jones shut her laptop and started eating "We'll get some groceries later, matter of fact, Charlie, you can just head there right after your work."

"You don't need the car?" He turned his head curiously, before returning back to washing his own bowl. He poured the dry cereal from Coraline's bowl into the box, before washing that bowl too.

"Nah, you can just drop me off on your way to work, then after you grab the groceries just come by and pick me up…" She rolled her eyes as she finished her bowl "And do remember to pick me up this time, I don't enjoy sitting around for hours with no pay."

Coraline giggled at this comment, and Mr. Jones nodded nervously "S-Sorry dear, that incident won't happen again."

Coraline smiled at her parents, before she gasped "Wait! You both will be gone today?"

"Not so fast young lady." Coraline's mother stood to her feet, smirking at the blue girl "I know what your thinking, no, you don't get to stay home alone. Mr. Bobinsky and the nice ladies downstairs will visit you throughout the day."

Coraline banged her head on the kitchen table. A sign of defeat, but the fact that the old ladies probably couldn't walk so well up stairs, and the blue circus man rarely was ever out of his home, made Coraline feel more free.

"So keep a lookout for them, alright kiddo?" Mr. Jones messed with his girl's hair, then noticed that it had gotten longer "Hm, we may need to take you to a barber or something soon…" He smiled and patted her head once more before quickly pulling out the last two strips of bacon from the fridge, as well as two eggs to start on Coraline's breakfast at the stove.

Coraline threw her arms over her head to defend her hair, and her Dad laughed, and Mrs. Jones smiled, opening the kitchen door "Well, we'll do something about that. We'll see you later this afternoon, Coraline." With that, her mother left to start up the car. Mr. Jones flipped the pancake shaped eggs like a professional chef, before getting applause from Coraline, who was smiling happily. Mr. Jones did the same with the bacon, before turning off the stove and grabbing his things "Well fix yourself a plate, and I'll see you later sweetheart." With that, he followed his wife out the door, waving before closing the door behind him. Coraline stared at the door, before she hurried to the phone and called Brunette.

"_Coraline!"_

"Brunette, it's Cora—wait…how'd you—"

"_Caller I.D.?"_

"Aw, I wish I had that."

Coraline paused, trying to remember why she had called, before she spoke up "Oh yeah! Come over today to hang with me!"

"_Will do! Nothing to do here, I'll be over in a bit? Or was there a specific time?"_

"Nah, just come on over whenever you're ready."

Brunette laughed, that girly laugh, Coraline imagined Brunette flipping her hair behind her ear _"Okay then, see you in a little! I'll be walking so look out for me!"_

"No need, door will be unlocked!" And Coraline quickly hung up, knowing she definitely would be looking out for her.

She didn't even grab herself a plate; she snatched the two hot bacon strips from the still hot pan, and quickly dropped them onto the floor from burning herself. She frowned as she saw the broken bits on the floor, then hurriedly picked up what still remained and carried it to the sink, washing the bacon off. She devoured the now cool meat strips, before running out the kitchen and down the hall to the front door, where she unlocked it before running upstairs to start cleaning herself up and changing. She couldn't wait for Brunette to come over, it'd be fun...or at least, distracting.

* * *

Coraline had a large butterfly hairpin in her hair, keeping her long bangs from smacking her in the face, the butterfly hairpin matched her long sleeve shirt, which was a dark purple, followed by a tank top over the clothing, which was yellow and green striped.

She wore simple blue jeans, but a fancy gem stone belt, and she was wearing blue rain boots, just in case Brunette wanted to head out. Coraline waited by the door, looking out the window to see if she saw any person's walking towards the house in the distance, and as soon as she did, she waited until the actual picture came in view.

She saw long brown hair, and the girl was skipping, so she assumed immediately that it was Brunette.

Coraline smiled widely and opened the door, waving outside to signal her from the distance. She received a wave right back, and now watched a running girl head towards her house. With a smile, Coraline waited until finally Brunette had gotten there.

Brunette waved slightly, tired from the running, she was breathing heavily with her hands on her knee's to gain air into her lungs.

Coraline smiled, closing the door behind Brunette as she waited, and when Brunette looked as if she was done hyperventilating, Coraline cleared her throat "Thanks for coming, I know I never invited you over before so I thought it'd be a good idea today."

Brunette nodded tiredly, before her eyes widened with excitement, the silver's in her eyes flashed brightly "Thank YOU for inviting me, your place looks awesome!"

"I'll give you a tour, follow me." Coraline said, and Brunette nodded as the blue girl lead the brown girl throughout the house. Coraline showed her the kitchen, as well as the family room, which she knew Brunette already had seen. But she also showed her the dining room, the boiler room, and her father's study. Brunette was really interested in her father's study.

"What does your father study here?" Brunette asked as she wandered into the office, looking around. It was cleaner than the first time they had moved in. There used to be piles of newspapers, other pages and books, and trash everywhere from her dad's idea's that just didn't cut it for him, so he'd throw it in the trash only to miss constantly. Coraline knew her mom and her dad made gardening catalogs on plants, insects, and other garden like things, but that was all she knew…she also knew that they didn't like dirt much, but they both decided to keep working at what they did best until they thought of something better to start on.

She was never interested in what her father did in his office.

The desk with her father's old style computer was at the corner of the room, a nice looking rug of green and gold was at the center of the wood flooring, and a large window let in the sun to greet whoever was to step into said man's study.

Coraline finally answered with an "I dunno, stuff."

Brunette pouted to her "Well, if it's called the study, he needs to study right?"

"It can also be called an office, genius."

"My names not genius, silly!" Brunette giggled.

Coraline only stared at her for a moment, before ignoring what just happened and leading Brunette out the room.

She walked up the stairs quickly, making sure Brunette was following right behind, then she lead Brunette to the bathroom in the hall, as well as to her parents' bedroom, and showed her their personal bathroom.

Brunette seemed so amazed by everything, Coraline was wondering if this girl was some alien thingy coming into her home to understand the world of humans.

Brunette smiled and ended up leaping onto Coraline's parents' bed. At first, Coraline was shocked, a little worried that her parents would complain about the mess they made of the sheets, but then she couldn't help but jump right after, and the two girls were busy jumping up and down, laughing and screaming as if someone had attacked them with the people version of catnip.

Coraline was the first to calm down as she stopped jumping and sat at the edge of the bed, giggling and breathing heavily, and soon Brunette joined her, and the two girls smiled and laughed at each other, before Coraline stood to her feet, leading Brunette out the room.

Finally, Coraline showed Brunette her own room, and Brunette was immediately awestruck "Wh-Whoa… this is…!"

"Fantastonishing?" Coraline helped her friend with a proud grin.

"Awesomeriffic!" Brunette giggled and clapped.

"Thanks!" Coraline smiled "I was inspired; actually, my Other Mother had my room look just like this in the Other World, before she turned all creepy." Coraline wiggled her fingers as a symbol for 'creepy'. "That woman may have been a horrible witch, but she had really good taste."

"Looks like it…" Brunette smiled curiously as her eyes continued to dart all over the room.

Coraline was really proud of herself, breathing on her painted blue nails and rubbing them against her shirt as if to clean them off "Well, now that all this is done with, we can definitely head out. I'll show you the garden." As the two of them walked out and down the steps, Coraline started to explain how her parents made a garden party and invited her neighbors over to help her with the gardening.

When they headed out, Coraline opened the garden gates, and showed Brunette all the red, pink, and yellow tulips, all the daisies and sunflowers, and even how they had beet's growing at the center of the garden because of her neighbor, Mr. Bobinsky. Brunette laughed at this, though she scratched the back of her neck, wondering about 'this Bobskii' guy Coraline was talking about, and Coraline immediately finished the garden tour to introduce her to him.

As Coraline lead the way, Brunette smiled happily and looked back to the garden, suddenly gasping as she looked passed it towards what looked like a boy standing there.

Brunette bit her lip, and turned away, trying to ignore whoever that creep was.

* * *

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mizzes Boontette." The tall, blue skinned man bowed. The three of them stood right outside his door, before the girls were invited in, and Brunette frowned and corrected "Mr. Bobskii, it's Brunette."

"Bobskii? What is zis sort of sing you speak of? That is the thing wis thee… er… whatchumacallit, the snow?"

Coraline was giggling up a storm as the two argued whose name was what.

Mr. Bobinsky wasn't as fat as he used to, in fact, he seemed to have lost a ton of weight to his gut. His home was a lot cleaner, and Coraline suddenly remembered the circus mice she thought were cool.

"Mr. Bobinsky?" Coraline asked quietly, interrupting the feud.

The blue man paused and looked at her, before Coraline spoke up "What about the circus mice? Can you show us them?"

Bobinsky shook his head and frowned "No time soon, I'm so sorry Caroline, but eh… recent death has been hard, hard on little bubooshka's. Oldest mouse is-eh dead."

Brunette frowned, and Coraline the same "Oh…" Brunette nodded "I'm so sorry, Mr. Bobinsky." Coraline nodded as well, but smiled when Brunette had gotten the blue man's name right.

Bobinsky nodded as well "It is hard, but soon enough, we will march on and start again!" He held his arm up triumphantly, before pounding his fist onto his chest. Coraline smiled and nodded fast, a little embarrassed "Yeah, I know you can do it!"

The two girls went to the door, since Bobinsky mentioned that he was busy, and the man quickly leaped and opened it for them "You ah take care Caroline and Boomtet! Stay out of zeh trouble!" and with a bow, the girls left and the door was slammed behind them.

Brunette smiled at Coraline, before letting out a groan as if she had held her breath in for an hour, and waving a hand in front of her face "WOO-WEE, did he reek of cheese and fart?"

Coraline giggled and nodded fast "Haha, yeah! His daily diet is cheese and beets, and since he works out all the time, I bet the food sweats right outta him and on his skin!" The girls giggled and smiled at each other, before Coraline waved her hand "Okay, now to Ms. Spink and Ms. Forcible. They live downstairs underneath me. They used to be actresses in the theater, you know."

Brunette's smile widened as she followed the blue haired girl, once more looking out in the distance. As she went down the steps, she glared slightly at the boy that seemed a lot closer to them than before. This time she could see, she knew who it was…

* * *

"It's always nice to have company over, dearie, please have a seat. You AND your friend." Ms. Spink smiled at them as she walked across the floor with the help of her walker. Coraline and Brunette looked at each other, and Coraline shook her head "N-No Misses Spink, we aren't gonna stay long. We're going to go do stuff today."

The pink haired woman turned her head slightly, before continuing to walk to her chair by a small coffee table, finally getting a seat "Oh really? Are you sure you don't want any tea?"

Brunette smiled "Tea?" She walked to the couch and sat herself down, and Coraline sadly followed and sat beside her. She also noticed that the three dogs were no where to be found, and she frowned and looked at the shelves of stuffed angel dogs "M-Misses Spink…? Where are your dogs…?"

"Oh, sleeping in their bedroom, dearie." Ms. Spink smiled sweetly, leaning back as if relieved to rest herself "Miriam! We have guests! Introduce yourself and make some tea, please!"

"Oh pish posh, calm yourself, old woman."

Another older woman appeared, with large breasts, and she wore only a bustier and leggings, like some ballerina in the making. Coraline gulped, and Brunette giggled.

Ms. Spink gasped "Oh my word! These are children!"

Ms. Forcible rolled her eyes as she held her glasses to her face, looking at the two girls "Oh, well then they have seen it already." The old woman walked slowly to the kitchen, mumbling a 'Hello Caroline, hello other lady', then she started to boil some water on the stove, then went to the taffy cupboard and grabbed a bowl, bringing it to the coffee table and setting it in front of Brunette.

Brunette looked at Coraline, and Coraline simply shook her head, before Brunette shook her head to the older women as well "N-No thanks, I don't eat sweets."

The pot of water hissed and whistled, and Forcible scurried over to the kitchen, calling behind her "You DON'T know what you are MISSING, darling!"

"What do you two young ladies plan on doing today, hm?" Ms. Spink asked curiously with a small smile "It is my duty to watch over you Caroline, so I must indeed know." Coraline smiled right back "We're gonna hang out at my house, explore, adventure, and be free!" Coraline lifted her arms as if spreading her wings, causing Brunette to giggle, and Ms. Spink to laugh lightly "Ah, to be young again."

"Here is your ladies' Jasmine tea's…" Ms. Forcible announced and carried the tray to the table, setting one cup in front of Coraline and Brunette, while also adding "Way more soothing than, oolong or whatever that crap is that April enjoys drinking…"

Ms. Spink ignored her, and immediately took a purple hat from underneath the table "I can read your tea leaves if you would like, you two."

Brunette once more looked at Coraline as she sipped the beverage, not sure what to do. Coraline smiled and nodded, and Brunette sipped only enough until she could see the leaves at the bottom. She held the cup to Ms. Spink, who took it gently and started to swish it around.

Coraline was done and waiting for her turn, when she looked over at a puzzled pink haired woman.

"What does it say?" Brunette smiled a little. Ms. Spink looked up at the girl, then down at the leaves, still confused "I… um… I'm sorry, but I honestly do not know. Miriam!"

The large breasted woman waltzed in, before she stood beside her shorter friend and snatched the tea cup, peering into it with one hand and holding her glasses to her eyes with the other. No pictures, no words, nothing, they were jumbled up tea leaves. Miriam shrugged her shoulders "I cannot tell, it seems that we have a mystery woman…"

Brunette blinked, and made a nervous laugh "Ah-Are you serious?"

"Maybe the tea is broken." Coraline commented.

Brunette immediately nodded, and Ms. Spink and Forcible laughed together.

The pink haired lady held her hand out for Coraline's, and she handed it to her, watching the woman move the cup around to mix the leaves.

"Ah, this is much better… well…sort of."

Coraline leaned closer "What does it say?"

Ms. Spink looked at Coraline "Well, there are two pictures it seems. A question mark seems to be sitting on top of… a heart?"

Ms. Forcible snatched it up and looked "No, you have it all wrong; it's a worm coming out of an apple. Good grades in school are coming your way!"

"No no no." Ms. Spink snatched the cup back and peered into it "The heart symbolizes love, and that someone is searching for the real you, Caroline… in hopes to gain your affection."

Coraline arched a brow to her, and received a glance from Brunette, who started making light kissing noises.

"The question mark represents… it comes in two forms, curiousness and danger."

Coraline and Brunette jumped "Danger?" The gasped in unison.

Ms. Spink nodded, as Ms. Forcible rolled her eyes and took the taffy and Brunette's cup to the kitchen.

The pink haired woman continued, as Brunette leaned closer, at the edge of her seat "This seems to look as if it is troubling… standing right out of the heart, dearie, do not trust those whom are not as they ah—"

Brunette slid out her seat, and grasped the woman's wrist, causing Ms. Spink to drop the cup and break it.

Coraline hurried to help Brunette up, then rushed around to help Ms. Spink "Are you two alright?"

Ms. Spink nodded, then looked to Brunette "What happened?"

"I slipped out of my seat…" Brunette shrugged, embarrassment was showing on her cheeks as they turned pink "I'm so sorry…"

"Oh it's quite alright, dearie." Ms. Spink smiled, and Coraline helped her clean it up as they placed the broken bits in the trash in the kitchen. Coraline took this moment as a time to leave "We should head out, I have one more place to show you, Brunette."

"Oh-Okay!" Brunette quickly nodded and jumped up, rushing after Coraline.

"Thanks for the tea! We'll see you later!" Coraline waved as she opened the door, and the two elderly women waved back, saying their goodbyes before Ms. Forcible joined Ms. Spink at the coffee table.

Coraline shut the door behind her, and smiled at Brunette "That was close."

"Sorry about your tea, Coraline." Brunette frowned. Coraline shrugged it off and smiled "No worries, it was just tea." Though Coraline was wondering about the heart in her tea leaves. Someone loved her? What was that all about?

Coraline lead the girl through the now early afternoon fog. Brunette described it as eerie, but then Coraline said it was perfect weather for banana slug hunting. Brunette giggled at the random comment, and Coraline laughed nervously, before realizing she thought about Wybourne again. She wondered if he had called her house or anything while she was out.

She continued to walk on though, down to the path that leads to the secret well, and passed the tree's that had on and off days, and to the colorful mushroom circle.

Brunette looked at the circle, and she smiled at Coraline curiously "What's this place?"

"It's the well, where me and Wybie first got rid of the button key." Coraline said gently as she signaled for Brunette to help her lift up the cover for the well. When they managed to do this, Brunette looked inside to see that it was filled up to the partial top. Coraline sat down on a rock near by, where Brunette joined her, and the two of them smiled towards each other.

"This is a fun day." Brunette said with a light giggle.

Coraline nodded quietly, lowering her gaze to her blue boots "Yeah, and the day's just getting started."

Brunette looked back towards the well; before she looked up and down the path that they had just came from, to see the shadowy figure once again. Brunette's happy expression dropped, and she bit her lower lip.


	7. Girls Day Out

_Once again, didn't turn out as expected, and had to chop this in half to put the rest in another chapter. SO this concludes the two part 'Girl's Day' chapters, but the next chapter is gonna be a short one on what I cut off from this chapter since it felt like it didn't belong, nor did it fit the chapter title to me..._

_Read and review please! Sorry for the delay, and I hope this doesn't suck too much... felt like it was sucking a lot every time I reread it, but I can't fix it anymore than it is without ruining what I had planned even more lol. Anyways, thanks to my fans!

* * *

_

**Chapter Seven: Girls Day Out…**

"How about we see how it's going? Just the two of us?"

Brunette suggested with a small smile. She noticed that ever since they got to the well, Coraline looked out of it, and she wanted to try and make her think of other things, good things, which was why she had yet to inform her that they were apparently being stalked.

Coraline looked at Brunette, and she nodded "Alright, let's go." With that, Coraline pulled out the silver button key from her pocket. Brunette was surprised that she had it on her this whole time, before the two of them walked over to Brunette's house. Strange enough, the walk to Brunette's was a little awkward and quiet, no one spoke about much of anything, and they both just walked. Coraline simply was wondering what was happening between the two of them, and by them, she meant her and Wybourne.

They made it to Brunette's house, the walk was from around one o'clock to one fifteen-ish, and Brunette took out her house key and unlocked the door, letting Coraline in first before closing the door behind them.

Coraline once again looked around the nicely decorated home, soon realizing that the inside of Brunette's house kind of looked like hers, except with way better chosen color schemes.

Coraline scratched her arms, then looked at them and noticed little bumps. Were they goose bumps? If they were, they were soooooo itchy!

"Coraline?"

Coraline zoned back into reality, realizing that Brunette was calling her into the family room to unlock the little door. She nodded fast and hurried after, getting down and sliding the key into the keyhole. She looked towards Brunette, who smiled and nodded, before she opened the door and peeked inside. The breeze soon released and blew their hair back, as well as the colors and the magical gateway appearing before them.

Brunette was so excited that she ended up moving Coraline out the way to crawl in front of her to the other side, grabbing the key from the lock on the little door as she went. Coraline thought nothing of it and followed right behind, closing the door behind her just in case Brunette's mom were to suddenly appear, not that she ever saw the girl's mom.

Coraline was still crawling by the time Brunette was already out on the other side, and only the girl's legs could be seen.

Coraline finally escaped the pathway of color, before making it to the other side, and getting to her feet. She looked around, and she realized why Brunette was standing there, because Coraline's home was finished.

Coraline thought this was a good thing, before she realized that they barely had anything here the last time they visited, and she looked to Brunette "How'd this place suddenly make my whole house in like, two days?"

"I don't know… it's really freaky…" Brunette said in a worried tone.

The two of them did exactly as Brunette had when she found her home. They explored Coraline's Other Home, seeing if everything was truly there. And it was. Coraline searched for the Other Father, even the Other Mother just in case, but no one was there…

"Who made all of this?" Coraline stomped her foot, and her fists formed at the sides of her waist in anger. She was getting upset from the fact that some mystery person was sneaking behind their backs and making everything, without even spying on them with dolls. It was Coraline's defense mechanism. If she got scared or confused, she would get mad. She was starting to think someone was behind all of this, but who?

"Actually…" Brunette said nervously, turning towards Coraline, whose face was still flushed from the blood that had rushed to her cheeks out of anger.

Brunette gulped a little, furrowing her brows "W-Well… Maxwell…"

Coraline was already suffering a mental rage, anything else could set her off "Maxwell?"

Coraline froze, Maxwell was the guy that did nothing but act weird, suspicious, and as creepy as the Beldam. She wondered if Max was up to any of this.

Brunette decided to swallow her pride, and she kept her mouth shut, shaking her head.

Coraline huffed gently, before they headed outside of the Other Home, and wandered around the world. To Brunette's neighborhood, to her own, and, scary enough, they even had the town and the local schools there. And soon, Coraline stood right in front of Wybourne's house.

Brunette blinked, and noticed Coraline's reaction; she wasn't even sure whose house it was, which made her seem slightly jealous "Um, what's this about?"

Coraline blinked in return, before looking at Brunette, then looking back at the house "Oh, um, I dunno, let's check it out." And Coraline rushed ahead of Brunette, approaching the door and knocking on it. No one answered, but when she opened it, she saw nothing but white. The house was empty, and unfinished.

Coraline's frown was obviously visible on her face, and she closed the door before sighing "Not much here, we might as well head back home, still no sign of people, but some creep is still building this place up."

Brunette only nodded as she followed Coraline out of the Other World and back to her own house.

* * *

"I'm seriously starting to wonder about Maxwell, Brunette."

Coraline said as she crawled out and stormed to the doorway of the family room. She wondered about Maxwell, and asked Brunette "Hey, you seriously need to talk to him, sometime soon, please?"

Brunette was finally out the door, biting down on her lip and nodding slowly "Y-yeah, definitely, I guess I should have done it sooner, cuz I'm starting to get a little scared too. Sorry about everything, Coraline." She sighed and looked down, disappointed "I really hope he's not the problem though."

Coraline turned and glared at her "He better not be, he's your best friend, and I'll be really ticked if I find out he is."

Brunette's silver eyes seemed to have darkened to a gray from that moment, Coraline noticed it immediately, and she frowned "I-I'm sorry, I guess I'm a little worked up… let's head back to my place, time flies when you're in the Other World."

Brunette nodded quietly, as the two of them headed back to Coraline's house. The blue haired girl was right though, the light was gone, and it was slowly getting dark out. Coraline wasn't even sure if her parents would be home by now or not.

When they had finally made it to her house, they went through the already unlocked front door, and the two of them wandered to the family room, where Coraline turned on the small television. While the TV was on and they were both looking at it, they were actually starting to talk about their favorite things. The conversation almost ended when Brunette said her favorite food was broccoli, which Coraline found terrible, but then Brunette decided to bring up another topic.

"So, what stuff do you like about the Other World?" Brunette asked curiously, pulling a random candy bar out of her pocket and starting to unwrap it. Coraline blinked, lowering her head to her socks and wiggling her toes "Hm, my favorite things?"

"I like EVERYTHING there…" Brunette admitted aloud, sighing as if in some happy trance that she didn't want to escape from, before biting into her chocolate bar "Actually, I can't wait to meet the Other Father, get to visit him every day, if he's still there at least… and Other People, I wonder since there are neighborhoods everywhere, if there will be people for those houses and stuff, you know?"

Coraline smirked, before she looked back at her toes and continued to wiggle them "Hm… Um… actually, there was someone I was missing for a long time." She blushed slightly, scratching her arms, and soon scratching her pant leg.

Brunette lifted and fixed herself on the couch, her smile widening "Hm? Who is this person?"

Coraline bit her lip.

Brunette nudged her.

Coraline groaned "Ugh, this… Other Wybie."

So the beans were spilled, Pandora's box opened, God was freaking out up there and probably laughing his but off, and Coraline was feeling squeamish, and itchy.

"H-He… He saved my life." Coraline admitted in defeat, a sad expression on her face, though the blush remained on her face for all within a one-million feet diameter could see. Brunette was silent, as if expecting more, and Coraline gave her more "The Beldam threw me into this mirror, with the Ghost Children, and Other Wybie helped me out, but sacrificed himself to do save me and help me escape… when I had to go back to the Other World to save my parents, Other Wybie's clothes were hanging on a pole…"

Brunette frowned, and she scooted closer to Coraline, as a sign of comfort "What was he like, Coraline?"

Coraline immediately chuckled, it was a tired and sad laugh though "Well, obviously not like Wybie. Other Wybie wasn't into bugs, but he always made me happy somehow. He took me to amazing places. He wasn't much of a chatter box either like Wybourne is. He was actually made without a voice so he couldn't talk, but he didn't have to… I felt like I understood him, and he understood me…" Coraline touched her chest "When we were at the Other Ms. Spink and Ms. Forcible's apartment, I performed with them on stage, and he threw me a rose… I still have it in my room too."

Brunette's eyes seemed to shimmer from the thought of such a forbidden romance, a romance that sounded impossible to ever fulfill, but one that was happening within Coraline "Aw, Coraline… I bet when we find the Other Father, we'll find the Other Wybie too."

With that said, the girls hugged. And that was that.

Except…

"So, you have a crush on Wybie?" Brunette asked, while still embracing the girl. Coraline immediately shoved Brunette "What? No way!" She huffed, crossing her arms across her chest, even though she had no idea how she truly felt about Wybourne. Brunette smirked and rolled her head "Mhm~"

"I mean, I know I like Other Wybie, but Wybie himself, I'm not even sure… I'm just too confused.."

And finally, that was that.

* * *

Brunette had gone home around six, and she was gone right when her parent's pulled out front. Coraline's arms had been itchy all day, and when her dad came into the kitchen with two grocery bags, she searched through them for something cool, like ointment, or medicine, or—

"Mayo!" Coraline cheered and pulled it out. Mr. Jones smiled and gave a questioning look, before he watched his daughter open the lid, peel off the safety foil, and dip her whole hand into the mayonnaise jar.

Mr. Jones' jaw dropped.

"C-Coraline!" He pulled the jar away from her, and the girl used what she had in her hand to rub up and down her arms "What? I needed something cool!"

"Like water? Run your arms under water?" Mr. Jones glared and shook his head at her "What has gotten into you tonight?" He continued putting the rest of the groceries away. Coraline stood there, wondering what she did wrong, before Mrs. Jones came into the room, her coat in one of her arms. She sniffed the air, before glancing at Coraline "Coraline? What on Earth?"

Coraline pouted "M-My arms itched…"

Her mother placed a hand on her hip, glaring at her daughter, before putting her coat down on one of the kitchen chairs and grasping Coraline's shoulder. She pulled the twelve-year-old after her to the kitchen sink, helping to wash away the mayonnaise. When she finished, she noticed the bumps as well, and Coraline grunted "See? No one EVER believes me!"

"Coraline…" Mrs. Jones said with a faint smile "Those are hair bumps."

Mr. Jones dropped what he was holding, causing the two females to turn their heads. Mr. Jones shook his head fast, before pointing "You'll be talking to her, not me." He hurried to put everything else away, before dashing out the kitchen.

Coraline blinked, then blinked at her mother "Huh? What's he talking about?"

* * *

When she thought things couldn't get worse…

She thought she'd be best friends with her 'trolls' form Michigan forever…

She thought she'd be best friends with Wybourne forever…

She thought she made new friends in Oregon.

It was all going down hill.

"Y-You can't be serious. That's… that's… gross!"

"Coraline, I'm serious, everyone goes through it, and now it's your turn."

Mrs. Jones and Coraline were sitting in the younger girl's bedroom, on her bed, and Mrs. Jones was holding Coraline's arm gently, smoothing her hand over it "Puberty hits everyone once, the good thing is that it's only once."

Coraline wanted to cry "Is that why my brain has turned to mush and I have no idea what the heck to think about anymore?"

Mrs. Jones smirked "Probably."

Coraline groaned, scratching her arm a bit before her mother swatted it away.

Coraline sighed "Well life was good while it lasted."

Mrs. Jones chuckled, then kissed her daughters cheek "Have a good night dear, don't get so worked up about it. Come to me whenever you need me." With that said, Coraline's mom left her alone, left her alone to die.

Coraline let her back fall onto her bed, not sure about what to think anymore as she stared at the ceiling. No wonder she was paranoid about Max, no wonder she started getting giggly and girly with Brunette, no wonder Wybourne was starting to make her feel awkward.

Because Coraline was a mutant…mutating. A blue haired girl soon to be growing blue hair in the places that weren't meant to have blue hair… soon to grow things that weren't meant to grow.

With that thought in mind, she peeked into her pajama top and stared down at her chest.

* * *

It felt even more awkward now. Even though no one was noticing anything different about Coraline, it felt like everyone was staring. Either the little arm hairs were freaking people out, or she just looked good today, which she doubted highly.

She wanted to talk to someone about it, her closest friend Wybourne, would he understand though? They still weren't talking, both of them sat in their seat during class, and Coraline was actually looking at the board and the teacher this time.

Wybourne was leaning over on his desk, and if Coraline didn't know any better, she'd think that he had gotten a heart attack and died.

She wanted to start talking again, wanted to make things better. She wasn't used to being the wrong one, she was used to Wybourne always apologizing and making pouting faces, and making her mad about something else so that they could move on with their lives… but Wybourne wasn't saying a word, meaning, it probably was Coraline's fault.

"Wybie…" Coraline whispered.

The boy didn't respond.

"Wybie! Psst!" Coraline whispered a little louder, trying to get his attention.

The boy turned around slowly, looking a bit at Coraline, before turning back around.

"No one denies Coraline Jones!" Coraline mumbled as she kicked the back of Wybourne's seat, hard.

Wybourne yelped, before covering his mouth with his dark hands, and staring at a small glance from the teacher. He held in his breath until Ms. Caroline was writing on the board again, then he turned "What is it?"

"I wanted to apologize…" Coraline frowned at Wybourne, making the boy lift his head slightly in curiosity "Huh?"

"For everything." Coraline continued "I'm going through some things, and I found out why, and I just wanted to apologize for acting like a weirdo."

Wybourne chuckled "I bet I'm weirder."

Coraline smiled. That meant he forgave her "You sure are."

She immediately lifted and hunched over her desk to reach Wybourne, hugging him tightly. Wybourne was a little shocked from this, but hugged back. When Coraline let go and sat back down, there was a surprisingly noticeable blush on the brown boys face.

* * *

Wybourne joined Coraline in the grass with a smile. He noted that Coraline was happy, but he wondered why, though he knew he had no courage to ask… but he did want to know something.

"So what weird things were going on with you, Coraline?"

Coraline's happy smile turned into a frown, and Wybourne shut his eyes tightly and braced himself for an impact, only to open his eyes slightly and see Coraline remain still. He calmed down.

The blue haired girl lifted the sleeves of her uniform, and revealed her arms covered in bumps. Some of the bumps had actual little blue hairs. Wybourne's eyes widened, and Coraline nodded "I know, it's terrible! The world is going to end!" She dramatically fell back into the grass, and Wybourne joined her. They both stared at the sky, before Wybourne spoke up.

"Ah… so what is it?"

"Puberty." Coraline groaned as she continued looking at the clouds "It's supposed to be something everyone gets when they're growing up, or getting all… mature and stuff."

Wybourne nodded "Oh… okay." With no other comment.

Soon the two were approached by Brunette, and the girl flipped her hair over her shoulder, and fluttered her eyes "What are you two up to?" She asked with a giggle, causing Coraline to glare at her. Now that they had talked and admitted stuff to each other, she was worried she'd tell Wybourne something she didn't want him to know.

Wybourne lifted up a little and shrugged, leaning back on his arms "Nothing much, we just came outside and started waiting for you and Max." He paused "Where is he anyway, he wasn't in class was he?"

"Oh, he'll be here soon." Brunette said and smiled "I talked to him yesterday, Coraline." She glanced at Coraline, and the blue haired girl nodded. Brunette continued, her silver eyes shimmered with happiness "Hopefully I knocked enough sense into him, he said he was just nervous since he didn't know the two of you too well. He doesn't open up as good as me." She took her own compliment as a signal to flip her brown hair again.

Wybourne laughed a little, and Coraline the same, before the three of them watched as the buses started to leave the parking lot, leaving the three alone.

Brunette cleared her throat "Hopefully he shows up, at least…"

Suddenly, they saw someone in the distance.

The sun seemed to stand directly behind the form, causing nothing but a dark long shadow to stretch to the three, as well as to hide the strangers face from them, leaving them in the dark.

As the person came into view, Brunette immediately jumped from shock, while the other two only saw a wide, white grin… an abnormally freaky and large grin.

Suddenly the figure stood by them, and it was Maxwell.

The boy smiled from ear to ear, not literally, but from the way he was forcing his muscles, Coraline was thinking he was trying his best to. Wybourne jumped to his feet, from mostly fear than anything else "Um, so…" He fiddled his fingers, and started to play with his shirt to distract himself from the boys face "What took—"

"Hi everyone!" Maxwell interrupted. His loud obnoxious voice startled the three, and Maxwell only glanced around at each person, ignoring how crazy he seemed "What are we going to do today? I hope something fun!"

"Okay…Brunette, Wybie, come here. Now." Coraline quickly grabbed Wybourne and Brunette's hands, and pulled them away from, what she now knew him as, the psycho.

Maxwell took a step closer, directly behind Brunette, letting out a loud "WOOHOO! Let's have fun in the OTHER WORLD!" and she booty-bumped him away, causing the boy to stumble back, but his smile remained stuck on his face.

"What the HECK is up with him?" Coraline almost screamed, before Wybourne shushed her and patted her shoulder. Brunette shook her head, as if she were having a mental breakdown, she couldn't help but keep shaking her head "I-I dunno… s-something's wrong with him."

Coraline snapped "You think? He's DEFINITELY working for someone in the Other World, we can't risk being stalked!"

Brunette then let out a heavy sigh "It's true! He stalked us when I was at your house, Coraline! I saw him but didn't wanna scare you or say—"

Coraline almost screamed again, but Wybourne covered her mouth, causing the girl to only mumble and groan loudly into his hand, before she started to struggle to take his hand off. When her strength finally pulled through, she shoved Wybourne away from her and pounded a finger on Brunette's chest "Get. Rid. Of. HIM! BRUNETTE!"

Brunette nodded fast, before swiftly turning around. With a small squeal, as if she had seen a spider that was terribly icky, she grasped the scary grinning male's wrist "We gotta talk at your place!" She pulled him after her, both running off, and soon vanishing.

Coraline's face was beet red; her head was throbbing, her throat sore, and now her mouth tasted like dirt from Wybourne's dirty hands. Maybe he wasn't even black, she wondered, maybe he was just dirty.

Wybourne wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her, but she shook her head "This is what happens when we include others on our secret… I wish I never had said anything…" Coraline looked at Wybourne with a frown, and the boy returned it all the same, but more calmly "Cheer up, Jonesy…excitement is what you wanted, remember?"

Coraline punched his arm, and Wybourne winced, before placing his hand over the new bruise forming, but he laughed. Coraline smirked and soon laughed with him. Coraline linked their arms together as they walked towards Coraline's house, in hopes that maybe her punishment was lifted.

She was starting to think she needed Wybourne, more than she knew herself, and more than he knew himself.


	8. That Month

_Here's a shorter chapter, kind of like a montage i guess. This was cut from the last chapter because it kind of had nothing to do with the relationship between Coraline and Brunette, nor Mrs. Jones. But it had a lot to do with how she was changing the way she thought, as well as changing the way she behaved around other people... I wonder what happened? MUAHAHAHA_

_This chapter definitely leads to the next one... what's up with Coraline, anyway?

* * *

_

**Chapter Eight: That Month…**

And her punishment indeed was lifted.

Coraline and Wybourne were running around in the garden, with the garden floor sitting underneath a layer of thick fog. Wybourne had ran to his house to get some things, and returned with a new pair of (familiar) clothes, his motorbike, and his skull mask to help him see under all the fog. Coraline walked right behind while he searched, and the black cat was resting on her shoulder.

Wybourne held a large set of tongs in one hand, and Coraline held her own smaller pair in the other. If Coraline were to be directly behind Wybourne, the two of them could have made a four armed monster.

Coraline was wearing her colorful gloves that she normally wore to school, and Wybourne wore his usual black skeleton ones. The two were hunting for banana slugs; Coraline had missed doing these things with him.

"Found another!" Wybourne called out, but his call sounded like a broken yelp from some dying animal, Coraline only found this amusing, and she blurted out "Roger! Specimen acquired!" She made her voice sound robotic, as if she were playing as the robot butler from the future.

Wybourne revealed the yellow banana slug from under the fog, squeezing it only lightly between the metal tongs, before passing it to Coraline's tongs.

Coraline smiled at the slug, as it wiggled slowly, before she held it to the cat, who sniffed it lightly before sneezing.

Both of the twelve-year-old's laughed, before Coraline put the slug down, and she took off her gloves "Okay, bored, hit me with another idea."

Wybourne lifted his mask up, revealing a pout on his lips, but then he looked at the slug remains on his tong. The slime trailed down to his glove, before he thought aloud "Do you think Brunette would like this kinda stuff that we do?"

Coraline paused, before glancing at him "Why? Do you like her or something?"

Wybourne shook his head slowly "N-No… w-well, yeah kinda, she's a friend, i-isn't she?"

"You tell ME." Coraline suddenly growled, looking at Wybourne angrily and slowly stepping closer.

The boy cowered in fear, seeming a lot smaller as Coraline stood on her tip-toes to make sure she towered over him. The poor boy tilted his head in confusion "Wh-What's all this about? If you d-don't like her just say so…!"

Coraline backed away and huffed, turning her head "I don't mind her. I do like her. Just wondering if YOU… Why-were-you-born… LIKE liked her."

Wybourne was now fiddling with his fingers, unsure on how to respond to that. He then chewed on his lower lip as he mumbled "Of course not."

Coraline was less violent looking now, making Wybourne calm down; sure that he had gave the right answer. The girl then sighed, causing Wybourne to smirk "You're jealous…"

Coraline turned and snapped at him "Jealous? Coraline Jones does NOT get jealous!"

Wybourne held a goofy grin that seemed to make Coraline's cheeks turn red.

He left it at that though, and Coraline immediately distracted herself with the sky "Look! It's getting late; I really need to hit the books." Coraline ran out the garden, and to her front door, while being pursued by her personal stalker.

"Wait!" He hollered "Do you like anyone, Jonesy? Tell me the truth!"

Coraline whined as she opened the front door "No! Now go away! I'll talk to you tomorrow!"

The cat hurriedly leaped off her shoulder before she slammed the door on Wybourne's face, giggling on the other side of the door as she got out of her muddy boots and threw her tongs, gloves, and jacket on the floor "I'm back!"

She immediately smelled food. When she heard the start of a motorbike, then heard it run until the sound faded away, she assumed that Wybourne was gone, and she was going to grab some grub.

* * *

Coraline sat at the dinner table, with a wide smile on her face. She was happy that she got to hang out with Wybourne today, and now she was going to eat a decent meal with her family.

Mr. Jones placed the pizza box at the table and opened it up, serving both his 'young ladies' a plate and a slice, before serving himself.

Before Coraline could even bite, her mother cleared her throat, as if expecting to speak up, and Coraline looked at her funny.

"A progress report came in the mail today, on your grades, Coraline." Mrs. Jones said gently "I'll let it slide for now, since I know you're going through some… things, but your C better improve."

Coraline's mouth dropped "Ah… C? That's not right! I was getting good grades and everything!"

Mr. Jones laughed, and Coraline glared at him "Honest! Sorta… but! But Ms. Caroline just hates me!"

"Coraline, honestly, you're being childish." Mrs. Jones said "I told you I'm letting it slide…"

Coraline shoved her pizza slice into her mouth, trying her best not to choke, chewed and swallowed hard, then huffed under her breath "I'm going to my room to do my homework."

"Really? How shocking!"

She groaned at her mother's sarcasm, before she marched out the kitchen, hearing her father's random comment "It better not be that time of the month." As she stomped up the stairs, and slammed the door to her room. Ignoring the outside world.

Maybe it was her puberty talking, but she felt rejected by her own parents. Her mom mocked her by saying she'd let it slide because of her 'problem', and her dad only laughed at her, not even bothering to defend her. He even complained about the month, as if he couldn't complain to her in person and had to say it behind Coraline's back.

She flopped onto her bed, closing her eyes slightly "My Other Father would defend me…" Coraline muttered gently as she laid there and stared at the back of her eyelids. In one month, her life went up hill to down hill it seemed, and still no signs of Other Father, the one good guy possibly still alive in the Other World, to come to her rescue. Coraline doubted that the Other Father was even there, and that the world simply had a mind of its own.

She drifted to sleep, hoping that tomorrow would be a better day…

Without adults getting on her nerves.

* * *

At school the next day, Coraline was worried that the freaky Maxwell would suddenly appear again, out for revenge on Coraline and the others, for neglecting to include him in their secret team anymore. She was scared of his smile, scared of him suddenly biting into someone's arm with his wide mouth and gross teeth.

Each time someone came through the door, especially a boy, Coraline and Wybourne turned their heads to check to see who it was.

But soon enough, the classroom was filled, all except one seat… which was Maxwell's.

"Must've hurt his feelings…" Wybourne said, and Coraline nodded slightly "I hope not too bad."

"Maybe he's just sick." Wybourne turned his head and gave Coraline a reassuring smile, before turning back to the front. And other than Coraline watching Wybourne pass a note back and forth to his nerd friends, nothing entertaining happened during class.

After class, Coraline was lectured about her grade. Ms. Caroline claimed that she had the worst grade in class, and that she was one assignment grade away from at least a B. Coraline was given extra credit homework, which she waited until after school to meet up with Wybourne outside and tear it to shreds, stomping on the remains.

"Yeah, I need more stress in my life, thanks doctor Carol-dork!" Coraline huffed and crossed her arms, watching as Wybourne fiddled with his fingers and started to play with his shirt as the two of them waited in silence.

Coraline was beginning to wonder what Wybourne was thinking, before she suddenly saw a panicked looking Brunette in the distance.

The two of them stood and watched as Brunette ran up to them, before pausing to catch her breath, managing to mutter "The door… was left unlocked, Coraline."

Coraline's eyes widened.

Wybourne's did as well. He asked what Coraline wanted to, but was too petrified to do "Wh-What happened? How?"

"I guess… last time we went, we forgot to lock it." Brunette said, focusing the answer towards Coraline. Wybourne glanced at the blue haired girl, and Coraline coughed "Oh God, did anything bad happen? Are you okay?"

Brunette finally caught her breath, and she managed a smile "Nope." She straightened herself up like it was no big deal, and Wybourne blinked "What?"

"I went inside, and took a look for myself…" Brunette smiled proudly, then reached into her purse and pulled out the silver button key, handing it to Coraline "You left this in the door, by the way."

Coraline wanted to punch her in the gut, but instead, slowly took the key, revealing a fake smile, that Wybourne could tell wasn't real.

Wybourne decided to start talking on her behalf "That's dangerous! You know what crazy stuff happens in there? You could've been hurt!"

"But I wasn't." Brunette winked, then she looked to Coraline "You won't even guess… who I met…!" She giggled excitedly, and Coraline froze once again.

Wybourne looked at Brunette, then back at Coraline "What's she talking about?"

Coraline was silent, but her cheeks turned pink.

Brunette stood there giggling up a storm.

And Wybourne stood there, glancing back and forth between the two girls, clueless.


	9. Dear Fans and Readers

Dear Fans and Readers,

Note that this update is posted on all of my stories, so if you have more than one of my stories under update or status watch, you'll just be reading the same thing.

I update my profile every time I get online on , so if you watch it, you'd know what the deal is… my computer crashed, and I sent it to the shop in hopes that it would be saved. I've had that computer with all my writings, fan-fictions, original stories and poetry, even art, on there for many years (maybe 5?)… and the motherboard or video card is too old. My computer has two hard drives so that if anything happened to one, most of the information would still be on the other and safe… but since the entire computer crashed…

So anyway. I'm letting all my fans know that all the stories I was bound to update soon (Especially my most popular; Hetalia and Coraline) and had worked on and saved, are gone. I'd have to re-write, re-plot, and re-think every…single…thing.

I hate doing these things. I read stories and subscribe to the updates and I hate when the authors just post "LOL STATUS UPDATE ON MY LIFE BECAUSE I LIKE FAKING OUT". They make you think you updated the story but you're just reading their crap… but this seems serious to me, and I Know a lot of fans out there are waiting and upset that I'm so slow at writing… I just wanted to let you know it'll be longer now… and even then, if not longer, it might be never.

It doesn't mean to un-subscribe and just delete me. It means that you can either wait in hopes that I DO save up money eventually to recover my date… it means you can help me by PRAYING that when I do save money that the people know what they're doing and can even recover it, it can even mean that you may have to wait forever for me to get back in the zone and remember what I had planned for the next chapters…

In the end, it all leads to one meaning. I'm lost, I have no idea what to do, I'm turning into an emo chick, and I'll either take forever, or let you all know if I give up.

You can always friend me on facebook(I'm on that EVERY DAY LITERALLY), you can friend me on DeviantArt, Sketchfu, and even Youtube. I just wanted to let all my fans know that I care about them and I'm sorry I failed miserably at updating and keeping my stories safe and virus free.

Love,

Uzumaki Ayame…

Alayne Williams

(P.S.: If my computer is fixed, another update will be posted. If my computer has no true chance anymore, another update will be posted. If I'm back in the game, I'll update… please feel free to message me on here, I'll try to stay active here even though I'm really upset for the time being.)


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